The Philippine Daily Inquirer is merging its print and digital operations, entering an agreement with sister company Inquirer Interactive to take over the print publication.
Employees affected will receive statutory or agreed severance and separation benefits.
The change – effective from the beginning of July – is seen as its “most significant transformation” with the company reaffirming its commitment to print and the flagship paper.
A board statement described the move as “the best strategy” to ensure that the Inquirer remained the leading source of news and content for Filipinos around the world. The move would “reinforce the Inquirer’s legacy and create new opportunities to engage Filipinos regardless of their reading habits.
“By leveraging the combined reach of the newspaper’s subscriber base and monthly page visits of Inquirer.net, the Inquirer would aim to expand its ability to connect to audiences across various media platforms.”
The publisher says integration of print and digital operations will strengthen its financial foundation and enhance its ability to deliver news in traditional and digital platforms.
Some of the Inquirer’s editorial team have been invited to join it in managing the multimedia platform, expressing a commitment to maintain newsroom operations and uphold editorial standards.
A statement asks “subscribers, readers, partners and the public” to continue to place their trust in the Inquirer “as it embarks on this new chapter in its life, steadfast in its resolve to deliver ‘balanced news, fearless views’ and to serve Filipinos now and the generations to come”.
Pictured: Today’s print edition, and (below) the Inquirer signs for a new digital-first editorial system – seen as key to the group's modernisation strategy – in 2019.