The Precarious Business of Truth

To be a journalist in the Philippines today is to fight a war on two fronts.

The first is a battle against a tidal wave of disinformation, a conflict fought daily on the chaotic battleground of social media.

The second is a quieter, more attritional struggle for survival—both economic and physical.

The 2025 Reuters Digital News Report, authored by UP Prof. Yvonne Chua, lays bare this stark reality: while the press strives to uphold its democratic mandate, it does so on precarious ground, where both its business models and its people are under threat.

The report offers a fascinating, if sobering, glimpse into the economics of news in the digital age.

A key finding reveals that 15% of Filipinos now pay for online news. At first glance, this is a heartening statistic. It suggests the emergence of a discerning audience, a group willing to invest in professionally vetted, credible journalism as an antidote to the “infodemic” Chua describes as being fueled by the widening rift between the country’s highest political leaders.

This 15% likely represents a segment of the population that understands that if good information is not paid for, the information space will be ceded entirely to those who peddle lies for free. They are voting with their wallets for a future where facts matter.

However, this glimmer of hope is shadowed by a larger, more complex reality.

While a dedicated minority opens their wallets, the vast majority of Filipinos still get their news from social media—the very platforms that serve as the primary conduits for the falsehoods newsrooms are trying to debunk.

This puts media organizations in a difficult bind. They must have a presence on platforms like Facebook and TikTok to reach their audience, yet on that field, they are often outgunned.

The algorithms that govern these spaces are not designed to prioritize nuance or verified facts; they reward emotion, engagement, and sensationalism, creating a fertile environment for disinformation to flourish.

News outlets are thus forced to play a game where the rules are set by tech giants, navigating a landscape that is simultaneously their biggest opportunity for reach and their greatest existential threat.

This struggle is more than just financial viability or audience metrics. It has a profound human cost. The Reuters report delivers a gut-wrenching datapoint: after a hopeful 2024, which was the first year since 1986 that no Filipino journalist was killed in the line of duty, that fragile peace was shattered in April 2025 with the murder of veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang in his home.

His death is a brutal reminder that the threats against the press are not merely virtual. The same political polarization that drives online disinformation campaigns also fosters a climate of impunity where physical violence is a constant danger.

For every journalist killed, there are countless others who face a daily barrage of online harassment, red-tagging, and legal threats designed to silence and intimidate. This is the human element of the business of truth—the journalists who, despite low pay, immense pressure, and real danger, continue to do the work.

The survival of a free and credible press in the Philippines cannot be taken for granted. It hinges on our collective ability to address these intertwined crises. The 15% who pay for news are pioneers, demonstrating a viable, if small, path forward.

But it is not enough. The business of truth requires more than a subscription model; it requires a society-wide commitment. It demands that we hold social media platforms accountable for the chaos they amplify and that our justice system robustly protects the brave individuals who risk their lives to keep us informed.

The cost of failure is not just the loss of a few news outlets, but the erosion of the very foundation of our democracy.