I checked my email account’s “Sent” folder today for old messages worth keeping and deleting. And before I delete this old message, I’d like to share with you an email interview I gave to a journalism student last March 27 who was writing her paper on campus journalism for a Sociology course she was taking.
What is the role of the student paper in the university educational system? In particular, how does the Philippine Collegian figure into the University of the Philippines?
The student paper serves as a major venue for the exercise of campus press freedom. Through the student paper, both the campus journalists and the target audience appreciate the role of the press in shaping public opinion and the importance of maintaining the highest standards of practice of the journalism profession. The Philippine Collegian, I think, has the richest and most colorful tradition of campus journalism in the country since its analyses of issues, particularly during the dark days of martial law, are valued even by the so-called professional journalists.
What is the role and importance of the campus press in the national political and social system?
The campus press serves as the voice of the students in particular and the youth in general (if we were to include here the out-of-school ones). History has shown that the youth play a major role in the shaping of history, as in the case of the Cultural Revolution in China and even in the 1896 Revolution in the Philippines. In today’s setting, the campus press can help strengthen the youth and student movement and consequently foment social change.
How does the campus press differentiate itself from the other sources of information in the university?
The slant of the campus press (or, to be more precise, student publications) is theoretically for the youth. It is expected to maintain fairness and objectivity but at the same time use the perspective of the youth in analyzing the local, national and international situations. The mainstream media, except for specialized publications and programs that cater to the youth, cannot be expected to have that kind of slant that is inherently biased for the youth.
hello sir can you tell me problems related to campus journalism. thank you.
Reply: Please be more specific with your question. Are you referring to campus journalism problems specific to the Philippine experience? Or is it in general? Thank you.
Yes sir, i want to know problems facing campus journalism in philipines. I want to know what bring the problems or problems related to campus journalism in philippines.
Reply: The implementation of the Campus Journalism Act in 1991 proves to be a major stumbling block, ironically, in promoting and upholding campus press freedom in the Philippines. Due to vague provisions about collection of publication fees and the assignment of a faculty advise for “technical guidance,” some school administrators have used the law to suppress campus press freedom, as well as harass and intimidate campus journalists. Thank you.
Hi good morning po, I’m trying to work on a study about problems of school paper publication in a specific area here in the Philippines, and I’m having a hard time finding for related studies…Will you share some related studies you know about this topic? It will be a great help..Thank you very much.
Reply: The main reason for the dearth of related studies on school publications is that there are very few in the first place. You should visit the library of the College of Mass Communication at UP Diliman and look for a few undergraduate and graduate theses that had been written on the topic. Good luck on your study.
thank you very much! :)
How can campus journalism strengthen the freedom of information?
Reply: Freedom of information can be strengthened by asserting the people’s right to it. In the context of campus journalism, it may be in the form of requesting data that are relevant to the shaping of public opinion (e.g., basic and tertiary education situation).
What is the involvement of campus journalism in the Academic Performance of selected journalists?
Reply: That would be an interesting topic for a thesis and I wish you the best of luck if you want to pursue it. Indeed, there are journalists like me who used to be involved in school publications and I would like to think that this experience somehow influenced our decision in choosing our profession.