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Philippine Daily Inquirer facts for kids

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Philippine Daily Inquirer
Balanced News, Fearless Views
PDI news logo.svg
Philippine Daily Inquirer Front Page (December 11, 2019).jpg
Front page from December 11, 2019
Type Daily newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.
Founder(s)
  • Eugenia D. Apostol
  • Betty Go Belmonte
  • Max Soliven
Publisher Juliet L. Javellana
Founded December 9, 1985; 39 years ago (1985-12-09)
(14,443 issues)
Political alignment Centre-left
Language English
Headquarters 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor Yague and Mascardo Sts. 1204, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
City Makati
Country Philippines
Circulation 1,979,000
Readership 47.12%
Sister newspapers Inquirer Bandera, Inquirer Libre, Cebu Daily News
ISSN 0116-0443

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), also known as the Inquirer, is a popular English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It started in 1985. Many people see it as the most important newspaper in the Philippines.

The Inquirer has won many awards. It is the most awarded broadsheet newspaper in the country. The Inquirer Group, which includes the newspaper and other media, reaches over 54 million people.

History of the Inquirer

The Philippine Daily Inquirer was founded on December 9, 1985. Its founders were Eugenia Apóstol, Max Solivén, and Betty Go-Belmonte. They started the newspaper during the final years of President Ferdinand Marcos's rule. It was one of the first private newspapers to open at that time.

The Inquirer followed a weekly newspaper called Philippine Inquirer. Eugenia Apostol created the weekly paper in 1985. It covered the trial of soldiers linked to the killing of Ninoy Aquino. Aquino was an important opposition leader. Apostol also published Mr & Ms Special Edition, a weekly paper that was against the Marcos government.

Early Years (1985–1989)

The Inquirer began with a small budget. In its first days, about 30,000 copies were printed daily. The newspaper's first office was in an old building in Manila. About 40 people worked there, including editors and reporters. Louie Beltran was the first editor-in-chief.

The newspaper played a big part in reporting on Corazon Aquino's campaign. This was during the 1986 presidential elections. It also covered the 1986 People Power Revolution. This was a major event where people protested peacefully. The Inquirer's slogan, Balanced News, Fearless Views, was chosen in January 1986. During this time, the newspaper printed up to 500,000 copies every day.

In July 1986, some of the founders had disagreements. This led to Betty Go-Belmonte, Max Soliven, and Art Borjal leaving. They started a new newspaper called The Philippine Star. The Inquirer then moved its office to a new location.

Growth and Challenges (1989–1991)

In February 1987, Federico D. Pascual became the executive editor. Two years later, he was named editor-in-chief. In 1990, under his leadership, the Inquirer became the newspaper with the highest number of copies printed daily in the Philippines. It took the lead from the Manila Bulletin.

However, in July 1990, an earthquake damaged the Inquirer's office. On January 5, 1991, the newspaper moved to a new building in Malate.

Longest-Serving Editor (1991–2015)

Philippine Daily Inquirer
PDI logo before 2016
Letty Jimenez Magsanoc
Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, the Inquirer's editor-in-chief from 1991 until her death in 2015

The Inquirer's longest-serving editor-in-chief was Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc. She was also the first woman to hold this position. She started on June 14, 1991. Before this, she was a columnist and editor for Panorama magazine. She was known for writing articles that made fun of Marcos. She also edited Mr & Ms Special Edition.

Under her leadership, the Inquirer moved to its current headquarters in Makati on January 12, 1995. This was the newspaper's fifth office location.

In 1999, President Joseph Estrada accused the Inquirer of being unfair and making up stories about him. The newspaper denied these claims. Later, some government groups and businesses stopped advertising in the Inquirer. This boycott lasted for five months. The newspaper's publisher, Isagani Yambot, said this was an attack on the freedom of the press.

In 2017, a survey showed that the Inquirer was the most widely read newspaper in the Philippines. The Manila Bulletin and The Philippine Star were second and third. Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc passed away on December 24, 2015. A month later, the Inquirer recognized her as the Filipino of the Year 2015.

New Leadership (2016–2018)

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Philippine Daily Inquirer headquarters in Makati

On February 2, 2016, Jose Ma. Nolasco became the executive editor of the Inquirer. This new role replaced the traditional editor-in-chief position.

Inquirer Readership

State of the Nation Address Philippines (2023-07-24) E911a 43
Inquirer.net broadcasting vehicle

The Inquirer's website states that over 2.7 million people read the newspaper daily. It has more than 50% of the market share. This means it is read by more people than other newspapers. It also ranks first in readership surveys.

Inquirer's Reputation

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is seen as one of the most trusted news sources in the Philippines. In 2022, it had a trust rating of 65% according to the Reuters Institute. This rating went up to 68% in 2023. This makes it one of the most trusted broadsheet newspapers in the country.

The same study shows that 28% of people read the print version of the Inquirer weekly. About 13% read it at least three days a week. This makes it the most read broadsheet newspaper. For its online version, 36% of people read it online. About 20% read it online at least three days a week. This ranks it third for online reach, after GMA and ABS-CBN.

Some opinion pieces have called the Inquirer the Philippines' most important newspaper. However, some have also criticized it. For example, The Manila Times said it sometimes published "empty, unthinking positions." GMA News also noted in 2014 that despite its important history, the paper was "starting to suck."

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Philippine Daily Inquirer para niños

  • Inquirer Compact
  • Inquirer Libre
  • Isagani Yambot - Publisher of the Philippine Daily Inquirer from 1994 to 2012
  • Letty Jimenez Magsanoc - longest-serving and first woman editor-in-chief
  • Rina Jimenez-David - columnist
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