How COVID-19 "Pseudo-Events" Alter News Decisions by Filipino Journalists: A Comparative Case Study

Abstract

ABSTRACTAmerican historian Daniel Boorstin, D. J. (1961) [The image: A guide to pseudo-events in America. Vintage Books.] introduced the concept of “pseudo-events" as non-spontaneous happenings that are planned and organized to generate news content that are not in touch with actual reality. Pseudo-events figured prominently in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic with alternative newsgathering methods normalized due to the public health situation. This study explored how COVID-19 pseudo-events have altered news decisions by journalists prompting them to fall into a routine of COVID-19 pseudo-events coverages that provide positive perceptions of newsmakers and overshadowed actual realities in communities. Using media scholar Perry Parks’ intervention into pseudo-events using the non-representational theory or NRT (2017), the researchers interviewed 11 city reporters in Metro Manila from the country’s three most circulated newspapers. Comparative case studies were conducted and shed light on the changes in journalists’ dispositions and news decisions toward pseudo-events. The study aimed to draw out the factors that help journalists alter their news decision-making processes and choose which “pseudo-events” need to be covered. The research aimed to deepen the understanding of pseudo-events and contribute to the improvement of news coverage.