The Manila Bulletin (PSEMB) (also known as the Bulletin and previously known as the Manila Daily Bulletin from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the Bulletin Today from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986)[4] is the Philippines' largest English language broadsheet newspaper by circulation. Founded in 1900,[5] it is the second oldest extant newspaper published in the Philippines and the second oldest extant English newspaper in the Far East.[6] It bills itself as "The Nation's Leading Newspaper", which is its official slogan.[1]

Manila Bulletin
The Nation's Leading Newspaper[a]
Front page of the newspaper on December 9, 2019
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation
Founder(s)Carson Taylor[3]
PublisherHerminio B. Coloma Jr.
PresidentDr. Emilio C. Yap III
Editor-in-chiefVicente Edgardo C. Barilad
Cecilia C. Colemnares
Associate editorJullie Y. Daza
News editorIsabel C. de Leon
Sports editorRamon Rafael C. Bonilla
FoundedFebruary 2, 1900; 124 years ago (1900-02-02)
(45,583 issues)
Political alignmentCentre to centre-right
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersMuralla cor Recoletos St.,
Intramuros, Manila 1002
P.O. BOX769
CityManila
CountryPhilippines
Sister newspapersTempo
Balita
ISSN0116-3086
OCLC number42725386
Websitemb.com.ph (English/ Regular Edition)
mbcn.com.ph (Chinese Edition)

According to a survey done by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Manila Bulletin is considered "one of the most trusted news organizations"; placing 2nd with 66% of Filipinos trusting the organization.[7]

History

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The front page of Manila Bulletin, when it was still known as Bulletin Today, on the day after Benigno Aquino Jr.'s assassination.
 
Former Logo Used from 1991 to 2019.

Manila Bulletin was founded on February 2, 1900 by Carlson Taylor as a shipping journal. In 1957, the newspaper was acquired by Swiss expatriate Hans Menzi.[8][9]

From 1938 to his death in 2002, Jose Guevara wrote a column of political commentary for the newspaper.

On occasions the editorial policy of the Manila Bulletin met objection from civil authorities. During World War II the newspaper's editor, Roy Anthony Cutaran Bennett, was imprisoned and tortured by the Japanese for his statements opposing the militarist expansion of the Japanese Empire. The Manila Bulletin (as Bulletin Today from 1972 to 1986) survived the martial law era of President Ferdinand Marcos as a propaganda tool.

Following Menzi's death in 1984, Chinese Filipino business mogul Emilio Yap became the new chairman of the Bulletin. Yap was invited by Menzi to become a shareholder in 1961.[10][11] The company has been listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange since 1990, and had revenues of approximately US$45 million in 2004. Besides its flagship it publishes two other daily tabloids, Tempo and Balita, as well as nine magazines such as the Philippine Panorama, Bannawag, Liwayway, Bisaya and a host of other journals in English, Tagalog, Cebuano and other Philippine languages. It also publishes a number of lifestyle magazines such as Wedding Essentials, Style Weekend, GARAGE Magazine, Agriculture Magazine, Digital Gen, Going Places and Animal Scene.

In May 2021, The Manila Bulletin named Business Editor Loreto Cabanes as the new editor-in-chief following the passing of Dr. Crispulo Icban. Herminio "Sonny" B. Coloma was also named as the new publisher.[12]

To further enhance its image as a newspaper which presents positive news articles, the Bulletin recently introduced a new marketing tagline, "There's good news here". In 2015, it adopted its current marketing tagline "Be Fully Informed".

In addition, it maintains the oldest news website in the Philippines.[citation needed] It is the largest subscriber to the Philippine News Agency among newspapers.

MB Online Chinese edition

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Front page of the paper's Chinese edition

In June 2020, Manila Bulletin unveiled its Chinese-language online edition, thus becoming the first major Philippine print news outlet to have an online Chinese edition that would cater to the Chinese Filipino population and the Chinese diaspora in the Philippines.

Reception

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On December 22, 2007, survey results by Nielsen Media Research's Nielsen Media Index Study (Enhanced Wave 2), covering the whole year of 2007, showed that the Manila Bulletin was the choice of 47 "of those who said they had read a broadsheet" with 1.17 million readers. This was lower than rivals Philippine Daily Inquirer (53% with 1.3 million readers), and higher than The Philippine Star (42% or 1.05 million readers). Nielsen survey also showed that the Panorama came in second with 35% readership, below Sunday Inquirer Magazine (39% readership), and above Starweek (12%).[13]

Latest Q2 2016 Nielsen Consumer and Media View results put Manila Bulletin, with 48% share of the total Broadsheet market, as the most read Broadsheet in the Philippines. Philippine Daily Inquirer comes in second at 38%, followed by Philippine Star at 14%.

Results from the global survey 2020 Digital News Report, an annual project of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, revealed that Manila Bulletin, together with The Philippine Star and TV5, was the second most trusted brand at 68%, behind only GMA Network's 73%.[14][15]

Controversy

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On June 5, 2008, a Filipino blogger sued the Bulletin for copyright infringement. The photo blogger had discovered that photos that he had taken and posted online had been used by the Manila Bulletin in the "Travel & Tourism" section of its March 21, 2007, issue. Apparently, the photographs had been altered and used by the newspaper without the original photographer's consent and without attribution or compensation.[16] A month later, the newspaper filed a counter-suit against the blogger claiming "exemplary and moral damages". The Manila Bulletin claimed that its use (and alteration, creating derivative works) of the photographs constituted fair use.[17]

On June 21, 2024, a data officer of the Manila Bulletin and two others were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation on suspicion of security hacking of private and government websites, including the National Security Council-Armed Forces of the Philippines, banks and Facebook accounts.[18] The suspects accused the newspaper's Technology Editor and head of the Information and Communications Technology department, Arturo "Art" Samaniego, of ordering the hacking.[19][20] Samaniego had faced previous charges of cyberattacks against private websites which was dismissed after he made a public apology in 2006.[21]

Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. Group

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Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation
Company typePublic
PSEMB
IndustryMedia
Predecessor
  • Bulletin Publishing Company (1912‑1959)
  • Bulletin Publishing Corporation (1959‑1989)
FoundedManila, Philippines June 22, 1989
(35 years ago)
 (1989-06-22)
Headquarters,
Key people
Basilio S. Yap (CEO)
Revenue  PHP2.956 billion (FY 2015)[22]
  PHP81.631 million (FY 2015)[22]
  PHP60.130 million (FY 2015)[22]
Total assets  PHP6.579 billion (FY 2015)[22]
Total equity  PHP3.487 billion (FY 2015)[22]
Number of employees
467 (FY 2015)[22]

Tabloids

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  • Tempo
  • Balita

Magazines

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Showbiz

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Sports

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  • Sports Digest

Lifestyle

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  • Animal Scene
  • Going Places (previously known as Cruising)
  • Philippine Panorama (sometimes simply known as Panorama)
  • The Digital Generation
  • Agriculture
  • Wedding Essentials
  • Garage
  • Crosstrain.PH

Online Properties

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  • Manila Bulletin Internet Edition
  • Manila Bulletin Chinese Edition[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. March 26, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "Manila Bulletin Digital Magazine". Magzter. August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "Philippine Communication Centrum Foundation - Media Museum-Living History of Philippine Media". aijc.com.ph. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Manila Bulletin through the years". Manila Bulletin. February 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Holland, Martin; Ryan, Peter; Chaban, Natalia (2009). Eu Through The Eyes Of Asia, The - Volume II: New Cases, New Findings. World Scientific. p. 24. ISBN 978-981-4466-27-1. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. ^ "Company Profile of Manila Bulletin". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Manila Bulletin among Filipinos' most trusted news brands, report says". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  8. ^ Henares, Larry. "Book 9: Give and Take, Part 2". Philippine Folio. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "Brig. Gen. Hans Menzi, publisher". UPI. June 27, 1984. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "Media Ownership Monitor: The Yap family". The Vera Files. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Pagulong, Charmie Joy (April 8, 2014). "Emilio Yap, 88". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "Manila Bulletin names Sonny Coloma publisher and Loreto Cabañes editor-in-chief". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  13. ^ "Nielsen survey shows Inquirer is top newspaper". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 11, 2009.
  14. ^ Newman, Nic; Fletcher, Richard; Schulz, Anne; Andı, Simge; Nielsen, Rasmus Kleis (2020). "Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020" (PDF). Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. p. 100. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  15. ^ Chua, Yvonne T. (June 16, 2020). "Interest in news high, but trust low in the Philippines—2020 Digital News Report". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  16. ^ Olandres, Abe (June 11, 2008). "Filipino Photographer sues Manila Bulletin". Yugatech: Philippine Technology News and Reviews. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  17. ^ Olandres, Abe (July 9, 2008). "Manila Bulletin files counter suit against Photoblogger". Yugatech: Philippine Technology News and Reviews. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  18. ^ "NBI arrests Manila Bulletin personnel, 2 others for alleged hacking". Rappler. June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Chi, Cristina (June 21, 2024). "Manila Bulletin personnel, 2 others arrested for alleged hacking spree". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Hacking for social media clout? IT expert Art Samaniego hits back at accuser". bilyonaryo.com. June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Lazaro, Jacob (June 22, 2024). "3 suspected hackers caught, tech journalist implicated". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f SEC FORM 17-A (PDF) (Report). Philippine Stock Exchange. August 19, 2016.
  23. ^ http://mbcn.com.ph/ [bare URL]

Notes

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  1. ^ As seen on official website and annual report;[1] the other motto, "The Exponent of Philippine Progress Since 1900" emblazoned on its former masthead, can also be found on the front page banner seen on the website's press reader[2]
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