The Philippine News Agency (PNA) is the official news agency of the Philippine government. The agency was established in 1973 and has since experienced periods of stringent censorship, particularly during the tenure of President Ferdinand Marcos. During this time, it was utilized as a censorship agency with the mandate of regulating the editorial coverage of news media across the country.
Media assets
News agency: PNA
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
PNA is a subordinate entity of the News and Information Bureau (NIB), which is an agency operated by the Presidential Communication Office (PCO).
Source of funding & budget
PNA’s budget is primarily funded by the Philippine government, as indicated in the organization’s annual reports. In 2020, PNA had a total budget of PHP 120m (US$ 2.5m), with over 90% of this funding derived from the state budget.
In recent years, the Presidential Administration has made new investments in PNA’s operations as part of its efforts to modernize state media outlets and make them more competitive in the digital economy.
Editorial independence
PNA is under the complete control of the Presidential Administration, which is the primary decision-maker in all matters pertaining to the agency’s operations, including its editorial agenda. To date, no independent assessment mechanism to validate the PNA’s editorial performance has been identified.
September 2024