MANIPULATIVE PROTOTYPES IN PHILIPPINE ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS

Seventy-five news reports on an alleged cheating involving an incumbent President and an unidentified Commission on Election officer during the 2004 Philippine presidential elections were analyzed to determine how the schematic structure (macro-structure level) and the linguistic and discourse features (micro-structure level) of Philippine news reports can contribute to the attainment of manipulation in news discourse. In light of the research findings, there is a need to look at how lessons on reading newspapers are taught in the classrooms. It may also be helpful to impress upon the learners that news reports, like any accounts of any events, are the reporters' interpretations or versions of the events and situations that would require close and critical reading.