Rethinking campus journalism
The better way to teach journalism in campus is to train them to write for life.
Perhaps, that’s a motherhood phrase.
What I really wanted to say is to go beyond competition mode.
But making the students practice campus journalism more might do miracles and fish more youth to the craft of factual reporting.
This is no critique on DepEd’s practice of holding schools press conferences from the division to the national levels.
I believe the efforts in campus to teach writing news, features, editorial, and sports; taking photos, and also copyediting are so much glued to “write to compete”.
Over the past months I had been involved in lectures to elementary and high school students on campus journalism.
The work is courtesy of concerned school paper advisers and education officials who wanted to prepare for the Division Schools Press Conference. The recent DSPC was held in mid-October in Don Carlos town.
Without prejudice to the amount of work put up by the advisers on training campus writers, I think there is wide room for creativity in providing more effective avenues.
There are other ways that could supplement what is achieved in the schools press conferences.
Look at how often they release school publications every year. Once or twice — if we get lucky?
That is if they release a 20-page issue with glossy covers and elaborate colors.
Why not come out with a four-page once in two months issue that could serve as laboratory space for the aspiring journalists? It is cheaper and it is faster to publish! Or with the advent of the internet, educators can use high school students having more time to be online to make t he blogs as avenue for their writing skills to develop.
Besides, it provides more opportunities for coaching, and also pride and sense of accomplishment — in short motivation — for the writers in seeing their work off to the press.
Also, how are “aspiring journalists” chosen?
Open and campus-wide screenings might have to be conducted towards the end of the present school year. Then a writing workshop could be held during summer for the incoming staffers.
How are advisers chosen, too?
Qualified advisers must either receive additional pay or reduced workload so that they can be expected to facilitate the publication with quality. They must be ready to mentor the editorial team and must not write all the articles by themselves!
What if at the end of the year a school paper adviser writes all the articles? That’s definitely a sign of a failure of instruction. I mean failure of education.
While expectations have to be adjusted with regards to quality of work, aspiring writers must see the school paper as their own, not that of their advisers.
After all, the reason why we teach campus journalism and allot budget of time and resources for it every year is we wanted the youth to aspire to be free and responsible citizens.
The aim to learn the tenets of free and responsible journalism is important for a society to remain free.
But i think the most imperative thing to do is to give the school paper relative autonomy—not only financially but more important editorially.
The schoo paper’s editor-in-chief must not be beholden to any school authority. They must be able to publish news items, and op-ed pieces without consulting their principal, headmaster, Prefect of disciplines, and any other school authorities. Although the possibility of abuse is there, as CJ Reynato Puno said, it must not be made a justification to curtail the rights of the students to express their opinions even at the school level.
I know a school paper here in Davao City whose editorial decisions are made not by the editor-in-chief but by the school principal. One time, I had a conversation with the paper’s moderator and she told me that she and her editor-in-chief need to consult the principal regarding the article that they want to publish. The article is a critique on the newly hired teachers’ performance. The principal told them not to publish the article because it makes a bad image of the school. Accreditors like the PAASCU might read it and thus gave them a bad impression of the school.
So apart from the things you said, giving editorial independence to the school paper should also be considered.
Hi Arvin,
Thanks!
Exactly what I also want to say when I mentioned that they need to learn the value of the free press and responsible journalism.
You have articulated it very well and I appreciate your insights.
I just want to add this for context: most of the campuses I have been to are starters on campus journ.
But in one or two of these encounters with them there was a question on how to deal with the censorship.
I told the advisers about my hard line position: it is the duty of the school to demonstrate independence.
One of them had a kind response: it will be a process because even the principals and advisers are students of press freedom and they need to learn more to step up.
In Davao, I have observed that the education has ran wide and deep maybe also because they see more practioners outside the campus.
I agree. Independence is imperative.
hi! i’m a grade school teacher in a private school in bukidnon.
i agree that the teaching of journalism skills are glued on ‘writing to compete.’ as a lot of teacher advisers would tell, winning in the presscon is the surest way to prove the publication’s worth. unless you win, the paper will be snubbed by everyone. sad noh?
Hi Jen,
I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to your comment.
Thank you for affirming my insight.
It is really sad and how I wish they go beyond that. Maybe one measure of the success of school papers in to know how many of their present staff become staffers of school papers in high school and in college, better yet in community papers!
Teaching campus journalism is not just to teach how to write but also to share the value of press freedom and responsibility, which are imperatives that apply not only to professional journalists but also to the public in general.
They said the media is powerful but some members of the press are also as corrupt as some government officials they ought to watch.
I’m sure we can still do something by teaching them early in campus journalism.
Best regards!
Hi sir, I was looking for related literature about campus journalism over the net for my thesis. I found this article and deemed it relevant to my study about Radio Broadcasting Competitions in DepEd’s school press conferences. I would like to cite you in my thesis sir. With this, i need find a short background of your profession… i can’t see a profile page po kasi here in your blog. Anyway, I am a fourth year BA Broadcast Communication from UP Diliman. Thank you sir, your reply will be very much appreciated. God bless.
Hi Andrew,
Sure you can.
So blog entries are allowed now in thesis documentation?
Send me an email and I’ll forward to you my profile.
Wait a minute, you can try checking my “About Istambay sa Mindanao” page I think I posted a profile there.
Anyway, I work as a full time journalist with MindaNews.com and as part-time editor of a local newspaper in Malaybalay City, Central Mindanao Newswatch.
Let me know how else I could help. I been there (thesis writing) in UP Miagao. It was a very demanding experience.
Sir,
I’m just a new adviser in a campus paper in one of the school in Balingasag. I just want to know if how far can a paper staff lambast teachers with their comments? They would not even want to be corrected with their articles. What is the function of a Technical Adviser of a campus paper? Are advisers limited only to syntax corrections?
Ikkin
Hi sir… thank you so much.
Yes sir, internet resources are now allowed to be used for thesis provided that the material has a clear and reputable author… and you happened to be a journalist, and that’s perfect.
Thank you again sir, this will be really helpful…
God bless!