The role of tri-media in the AFP counterinsurgency program as perceived by the Defense Press Corps / Anne Marie P. Sta. Ana. 6

Thesis (M.A.) -- Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, 1993.;A thesis presented to the faculty of Graduate Programs in Arts, Sciences, Education, and Nursing in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Communication. 56

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ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken to find out the following: the roles tri-media and the Defense Press Corps can play in the AFP-COIN Program; the most effective information medium that can help the counterinsurgency program; the most effective role that a media practitioner can play; the most persuasive medium in bringing back insurgents to the folds of the law; the media practitioner who can effectively help the COIN efforts of the AFP and the roles tri-media played in the COIN program during the first 100 days of the Ramos Administration. Eighty respondents out of the total population of 100 mediamen (70 from DPC and 30 others on the Defense beat based in Metro Manila) were used. The study used the descriptive research design. Percentages were taken to determine the profile of population, to know the roles media played during the first 100 days of the Ramos Administration, to establish which of the media is most effective in the counterinsurgency program, to quantify which of the media is most effective in bringing back the insurgents to the folds of the law and to draw other inferences. The Kendall's Coefficient of Concordance was utilized to interpret the rankings made by the target population on their source of information about the AFP and to know whether the rankings were independent of each other, at the same time, to determine the degree of agreement among the raters, Chi-square tests were employed to determine if there were significant differences between the projected data and the actual data. Standard deviations ((SD) were used to check if the scores were within the normal population curve, while the arithmetic means (X-bar) were used to measure the population's central tendencies or to determine the population's center of gravity. The hypotheses used in the study are as follows: 1. That the sources of information about the counterinsurgency (COIN) program are not related to each other. 2. That the Tri-Media do not differ significantly in the roles they play. 3. That the roles of the Defense Press Corps (DPC) in the COIN effort are independent of each other. 4. That none of the Tri-Media is best to help COIN program. 5. That the media practitioner is not effective in any of its roles. 6. That there are no significant differences in the effectiveness of the Tri-Media in bringing back the insurgents to the folds of the law. 7. That there are no significant differences in the media practitioners in helping the COIN program. The findings are: that the DPC and the tri-media can play the following roles in the AFP-COIN Program-Community Development Worker, Educator, Entertainer, Leader, Opinion-Maker, Politician and Propagandist. These are the same roles played by the tri-media during the first quarter of the current leadership; that Radio is the most effective informative medium that can help in the COIN Program; that Television is the most persuasive medium in bringing back the insurgents to the folds of the law; that the most effective role that a media practitioner can play is that of a Propagandist; and from the media practitioners, it is the News Reporter who can effectively help in the COIN effort of the AFP. From the findings, it is recommended that the News Reporters perform the role of Propagandist to do interpretive reporting. It is also recommended that Radio be used more as an information medium and Television as a channel of persuasive messages. It is further recommended that an increased collaboration and linkage between the AFP and the media be established for a well-planned, synchronized and well-directed AFP-COIN Program. A coordinated and harmonized strategy of COIN management is envisioned to strengthen the faith of the people in the military establishment and civilian government, which in turn will reduce subversion and insurgency, if not totally destroy it.

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