History of Journalism in the Philippines

History of Journalism in the Philippines

American Colonial PeriodThe Manila Daily Bulletin

After the Spaniards' defeat from the Americans, English newspapers started to circulate. It was lead by the Manila Times of Thomas Gowan which was established on October 11, 1898. The paper was a response to the complaints of American soldiers with the lack of a good English newspaper at that time. It encountered various changes in ownership including then President Manuel L. Quezon who bought it in 1917 and sold it after four years of possession. Two other foreign owners had the Manila Times before Alejandro Roces, Sr. acquired it in 1927. Roces already running the TVT (Taliba-La Vanguardia-Tribune) chain at that time then realized the unnecessary owning of another English paper and so he closed it down in 1930. Also sometime in 1927 the son of Alejandro Roces, Sr., Ramon Roces put up a magazine known as Graphic.

TVT then was considered the first newspaper chain in the Philippines. Its founding was one of the highlight events during the 1920s and had bestowed on Roces the titled "father of modern journalism." Manila Tribune was established by Roces on April 1, 1925, with Carlos P. Romulo as editor.

The Sunday TimesAnother American newspaper issued that time was the "oldest existing newspaper", The Manila Daily Bulletin, established by Carson Taylor in February 1, 1900. The paper started out as a shipping journal and later widened its scope in 1912.

Some time after 1930 with Herald and Tribune on tough competition for high number of circulation, Sen. Vicente Madrigal, owner of the Herald, put up his own publication chain called DMHM comprised of Spanish daily, El Debate, weekly, Monday Post, Herald and Mabuhay, a Pilipino daily.

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