Philippine Daily Inquirer facts for kids
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Front page from December 11, 2019
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| Type | Daily newspaper |
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| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. (1985-2025) Inquirer Interactive, Inc. (2025-present) |
| Founder(s) |
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| Publisher | Juliet L. Javellana |
| Founded | December 9, 1985 (14,503 issues) |
| Political alignment | Centre-left |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Media Resource Plaza Building, 2530 Mola corner Pasong Tirad Streets, La Paz, 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 and is often seen as a very important newspaper for the country's history. The Inquirer has won many awards and its group, The Inquirer Group, reaches over 54 million people through different ways.
Contents
The Inquirer's Story
The Philippine Daily Inquirer began on December 9, 1985. It was founded by publisher Eugenia Apóstol, writer Max Solivén, and Betty Go-Belmonte. It was one of the first private newspapers to start during the final years of the Marcos government.
The Inquirer followed a weekly newspaper called Philippine Inquirer. Eugenia Apostol created that paper in 1985 to report on the trial of soldiers. These soldiers were accused of being involved in the sad event where political leader Ninoy Aquino died at Manila International Airport in 1983. Apostol also published Mr. & Ms. Special Edition, a weekly paper that was against the Marcos government.
Early Years (1985–1989)
The Inquirer started with a budget of ₱1 million. In its first days, about 30,000 copies were printed daily. The newspaper's first office was in an old building in Port Area, Manila. About 40 people, including editors and reporters, worked in a small newsroom. Louie Beltran was the first editor-in-chief.
The newspaper played a big part in reporting on Corazon Aquino's campaign during the 1986 presidential elections. It also covered the 1986 People Power Revolution. The Inquirer's slogan, Balanced News, Fearless Views, was added in January 1986. This slogan came from a contest held during the newspaper's first month. During this time, the newspaper printed as many as 500,000 copies each day.
In July 1986, some disagreements about money and goals caused a split among the founders. This led to Belmonte, Soliven, and Art Borjal leaving the Inquirer. They then started The Philippine Star. Since Belmonte owned the building where the Inquirer was, the newspaper moved to a building owned by Soliven in Intramuros.
Growth and Challenges (1989–1991)
In February 1987, Federico D. Pascual became the executive editor of the Inquirer. Two years later, he was named editor-in-chief. In 1990, during his time, 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, the Inquirer's office in Intramuros was damaged by the 1990 Luzon earthquake. On January 5, 1991, the newspaper moved to a new building in Malate.
Longest-Serving Editor (1991–2015)
Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc was the Inquirer's longest-serving and first woman editor-in-chief. She was appointed on June 14, 1991. She used to be a writer and editor for Panorama Sunday magazine. She was let go from her previous job for writing articles that made fun of Marcos. She also edited Mr & Ms Special Edition until the Marcos government ended. She was also the first editor-in-chief of Sunday Inquirer Magazine.
Under her leadership, on January 12, 1995, the Inquirer moved to its current main office in Makati. This was its fifth move.
President Joseph Estrada said the Inquirer was "biased, mean, and made up stories" about him. The newspaper said these charges were not true. In 1999, several government groups, businesses that supported Estrada, and movie producers all stopped their advertisements in the Inquirer at the same time. This boycott lasted for five months. Many believed the government was involved in stopping the ads. Publisher Isagani Yambot said this was an attack on the freedom of the press.
In 2017, a survey by AGB Nielsen 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 after her passing, the Inquirer honored her as the Filipino of the Year 2015.
Recent Years (2016–Present)
On February 2, 2016, Jose Ma. Nolasco, who was the managing editor, became the executive editor. This new role replaced the traditional editor-in-chief position.
In 2017, Ramon S. Ang bought most of the shares from the Prieto family, owning 85%. Manny Pangilinan owned the remaining 15%.
The Inquirer has a special publication called Pop!. It focuses on popular culture and things found on the Internet. On October 1, 2024, the Entertainment section joined with the Lifestyle section.
As of July 1, 2025, the Inquirer is bringing its print and digital parts closer together. The Philippine Daily Inquirer continues to print its newspaper. Inquirer Interactive, Inc. is now its publisher, taking over from Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc.
Who Reads the Inquirer?
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The company's website says that over 2.7 million people across the country read the newspaper every day. It has more than 50% of the market share and is number one in readership surveys.
How People See the Inquirer
The Philippine Daily Inquirer was seen as one of the most trusted news sources by Filipinos in 2022. It had a trust rating of 65% according to the Reuters Institute. In the 2023 Digital News Report by Reuters Institute, its trust rating went up to 68%. This makes it one of the most trusted broadsheet newspapers in the country.
The same study also shows that 28% of people read the print version of the Inquirer weekly. About 13% read it at least three days a week, making it the most read broadsheet. For online news, 36% of people in the survey read the online version. About 20% read it at least three days a week, placing it third after GMA and ABS-CBN.
Some opinion pieces have called the Inquirer the Philippines' most important newspaper. However, they also offered some criticism. The Manila Times said it published "empty, thoughtless opinions." In 2014, Leloy Claudio wrote in an opinion piece for GMA News that it was a "main paper of record." He also added that its great history made it harder to say the paper was "starting to suck."
See also
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
- Conrado de Quiros
- Rene Alviar
- Cesar Mangawang
- Lina Sagaral Reyes
