CMC Brownbag presents Ms. Jeannica Mae Rosario

Family Picture: A Study on the Influence of News Media on the Voting Public’s Perceived Image of Political Dynasties in the Province of Nueva Ecija

3:00 – 4:00 pm on April 26, 2016 at the CMC Auditorium

ABSTRACT This study aims to discover how the news media contribute to the voting public’s formation of their perceived image regarding political dynasties. Results of the study show that although the news media agenda is not the same with the voters’ perceived image of political dynasties, the news media can still influence the public’s perception of the issue through the amount of saliency it allots to political dynasty news. This study also exemplifies the Internet’s ability to weaken geographical boundaries through the presentation of diverse news about political clans. Online news give the respondents more in-depth information about dynasties, which is based on the dynastic politicians’ issue positions instead of their personalities. Moreover, even though the political reality in Nueva Ecija is one of the most controversial in the country, Nueva Ecija residents do not see the issue to be of personal importance to them. This perceived distance by the respondents to the issue of dynasties can be attributed to their very low level of political engagement and political discussion with other people. Alternatively, this study suggests the increase in the consumption of Internet news, and having more frequent political discussions both online and offline since these are related to the increase of perceived importance of the issue at hand. ABOUT THE PRESENTER Ms. Jeannica Mae M. Rosario is currently an Instructor at University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication (UP CMC), where she handles introductory courses in communication and computer technology. She received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Research (Magna cum Laude) at UP CMC and is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Psychology at the UP College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Prior to teaching, she served as a research assistant for several projects related to health, communication planning and evaluation, and market research. Her research interests include political communication, digital media, and media psychology.