Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), or simply the Inquirer, is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded broadsheet in the Philippines and the multimedia group, called The Inquirer Group, reaches 54 million people across several platforms.^[1]

History

The Philippine Daily Inquirer was founded on December 9, 1985, by publisher Eugenia Apóstol, columnist Max Solivén, together with Betty Go-Belmonte during the last days of, and becoming one of the first private newspapers to be established under the Marcos regime.^[1]

Beltran years (1985–1989)

As the successor to the previous Mr. & Ms. Special Edition and the weekly Philippine Inquirer, it was founded on a budget of ₱1 million and enjoyed a daily circulation of 30,000 in its early days. The new daily was housed in the dilapidated one-story Star Building at 13th and Railroad streets in Port Area, Manila.^[1]

Pascual years (1989–1991)

In February 1987, Federico D. Pascual, former assistant managing editor of the Daily Express, was named executive editor of the Inquirer and was appointed editor-in-chief two years later. It was during his term in 1990 that the Inquirer took the lead from the Manila Bulletin to become the Philippines' newspaper with the highest circulation.^[1]

Jimenez-Magsanoc years (1991–2015)

Inquirer's longest-serving and first woman editor-in-chief, the late Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, was appointed on June 14, 1991. She was a former columnist and editor of the Panorama Sunday magazine of Bulletin Today (now Manila Bulletin) who was sacked for writing articles poking fun at Marcos. She edited Mr & Ms Special Edition until the fall of the Marcos regime.^[1]

Nolasco years (2016–2018)

On February 2, 2016, the Inquirer appointed its managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco as the executive editor, the new top position of the newspaper, replacing the traditional editor-in-chief position used by the Inquirer for more than three decades.^[1]

Readership

According to the company's website the newspaper has over 2.7 million nationwide readers daily, it enjoys a market share of over 50% and tops the readership surveys.^[1]

Reputation

The Philippine Daily Inquirer was considered as one of the trusted news sources among Filipinos in 2022, with a trust rating of 65% according to the Reuters Institute. In the 2023 Digital News Report by Reuters Institute, the trust rating rose to 68%, making it one of the most trusted broadsheets in the country. The same study also cites the Inquirer, with a weekly reach for print of 28% with 13% reaching users at least three days a week; which makes it the most read broadsheet in the country.^[1]