Republic of the Philippines
Commission on Higher Education
LIGAO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Guilid, Ligao City
AY 2022-2023
First Semester
English 112:
WEEK: 2
STUDENT’S NAME: __________________________________________
COURSE/YEAR/BLOCK: __________________________________________
DATE RECEIVED: __________________________________________
INSTRUCTOR’S NAME: __________________________________________
I. Overview
Good day! You are on your second week of asynchronous
learning on campus journalism! As an English major, it is
important that your communication skills encompassing the
different macro-skills are developed because who knows ,our
subject could channel the Jessica Soho, Korina Sanchez, Ted
Failon, Noli De Castro and other reputable journalists in you?
To do this, let’s continue your learning
journey!
II. Learning Outcomes
At the end of the module, you are expected to:
✓ Recognize the principles of journalism; and,
✓ Create implications to the teaching of Campus
Journalism to future students through the analysis of RA
7079
III.Discussion and
Self-Assessment Activities(SAA)
Have you experienced to become a campus journalist?
What principles does campus journalism adhere to?
After extended examination by journalists themselves of the character of journalism
at the end of the twentieth century, we offer this common understanding of what defines our
work. The central purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with accurate and reliable
information they need to function in a free society.
This encompasses myriad roles helping define community, creating common language
and common knowledge, identifying a community’s goals, heroes and villains, and pushing
people beyond complacency. This purpose also involves other requirements, such as being
entertaining, serving as watchdog, and, offering voice to the voiceless.
Over time, journalists have developed nine core principles to meet the task. They
comprise what might be described as the theory of journalism.
o Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth
Democracy depends on citizens having reliable, accurate facts put in a
meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or
philosophical sense, but it can and must pursue it in a practical sense.
This “journalistic truth” is a process that begins with the
professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Then
journalists try to convey a fair and reliable account of their
meaning, valid for now, subject to further
investigation. Journalists should be as transparent as possible
about sources and methods, so audiences can make their own
assessment of the information.
Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the
foundation upon which everything else is built: context,
interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate. The truth, over
time, emerges from this forum. As citizens encounter an ever-
greater flow of data, they have more need not less for identifiable
sources dedicated to verifying that information and putting it in
context.
o Its first loyalty is to citizens
While news organizations answer to many constituencies,
including advertisers and shareholders, the journalists in those
organizations must maintain allegiance to citizens and the larger public interest above any
other if they are to provide the news without fear or favor. This commitment to citizens first
is the basis of a news organization’s credibility; the implied covenant that tells the audience
the coverage is not slanted for friends or advertisers. Commitment to citizens also means
journalism should present a representative picture of all constituent groups in society.
Ignoring certain citizens has the effect of disenfranchising them. The theory underlying the
modern news industry has been the belief that credibility builds a broad and loyal audience,
and that economic success follows in turn. In that regard, the business people in a news
organization also must nurture–not exploit their allegiance to the audience ahead of other
considerations.
o Its essence is a discipline of verification
Journalists rely on a professional discipline for verifying
information. When the concept of objectivity originally
evolved, it did not imply that journalists are free of bias. It
called, rather, for a consistent method of testing
information – a transparent approach to evidence –
precisely so that personal and cultural biases would not
undermine the accuracy of their work.
The method is objective; not the journalist. Seeking
out multiple witnesses, disclosing as much as possible
about sources, or asking various sides for comment, all
signal such standards. This discipline of verification is what
separates journalism from other modes of communication, such as propaganda, fiction or
entertainment.
However, the need for professional method is not always fully recognized or refined.
While journalism has developed various techniques for determining facts, for instance, it has
done less to develop a system for testing the reliability of journalistic interpretation.
o Its practitioners must maintain an independence from those they cover
Independence is an underlying requirement of journalism, a cornerstone of its
reliability. Independence of spirit and mind, rather than neutrality, is the principle journalists
must keep in focus. While editorialists and commentators are not neutral, the source of their
credibility is still their accuracy, intellectual fairness and ability to inform, not their devotion
to a certain group or outcome. In our independence, however, we must avoid any tendency
to stray into arrogance, elitism, isolation or nihilism.
o It must serve as an independent monitor of power
Journalism has an unusual capacity to serve as watchdog over those
whose power and position most affect citizens. The Founders recognized
this to be a rampart against despotism when they ensured an independent
press; courts have affirmed it; citizens rely on it. As journalists, we have an
obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous
use or exploiting it for commercial gain.
o It must provide a forum for public criticism and
compromise
The news media are the common carriers of public discussion, and this responsibility
forms a basis for our special privileges. This discussion serves society best when it is
informed by facts rather than prejudice and supposition. It also should strive to fairly
represent the varied viewpoints and interests in society, and to place them in context
rather than highlight only the conflicting fringes of debate. Accuracy and truthfulness
require that as framers of the public discussion we not neglect the points of common
ground where problem solving occurs.
o It must strive to make the significant interesting and relevant
Journalism is storytelling with a purpose. It should do more than gather an audience or
catalogue the important. For its own survival, it must balance what readers know they want
with what they cannot anticipate but need. In short, it must strive to make the significant
interesting and relevant. The effectiveness of a piece of journalism is measured both by how
much a work engages its audience and enlightens it. This means journalists must
continually ask what information has most value to citizens and in what
form. While journalism should reach beyond such topics as
government and public safety, a journalism overwhelmed by
trivia and false significance ultimately engenders a trivial
society.
o It must keep the news comprehensive and
proportional
Keeping news in proportion and not leaving important things out are
also cornerstones of truthfulness. Journalism is a form of cartography:
it creates a map for citizens to navigate society. Inflating events for
sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping or being
disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map. The map
also should include news of all our communities, not just those with
attractive demographics. This is best achieved by newsrooms with a
diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The map is only an analogy;
proportion and comprehensiveness are subjective, yet their
elusiveness does not lessen their significance.
o Its practitioners must be allowed to exercise their personal conscience
Every journalist must have a personal sense of ethics and responsibility–a moral
compass. Each of us must be willing, if fairness and accuracy require, to voice differences
with our colleagues, whether in the newsroom or the executive suite. News organizations do
well to nurture this independence by encouraging individuals to speak their minds. This
stimulates the intellectual diversity necessary to understand and accurately cover an
increasingly diverse society. It is this diversity of minds and voices, not just numbers, that
matters.
Practice Task 1: Choose at least two principles presented above that want to elaborate further
by citing concrete proofs.
Now, let us proceed to the keynote message delivered by one of the reputable
journalism educators of the country—Professor Danilo Arao. Prior reading his message, I
want you to have a copy and read Republic Act No. 7079 otherwise known as Campus
Journalism Act of 1991
by Prof. Danilo Arao, Journalism Educator in UP Diliman
N.B. – This is my keynote speech for the National
Conference on Campus Journalism and 6th Writing
Competition on January 17, 2013 at the Development
Academy of the Philippines (DAP)-Tagaytay. I was invited
by the Organization of Student Services Educators, Inc.
(OSSEI) which organized the event.
Isang mapagpalayang hapon sa
inyong lahat! A liberating afternoon to
all of you!
I was asked this afternoon to
review Republic Act No. 7079, also
known as the Campus Journalism Act
of 1991. Campus journalists are encouraged to read and understand this law. It is
only two pages long so it should not be that hard.
Approved on July 5, 1991, the Campus Journalism Act or CJA seeks to “uphold
and protect the freedom of the press even at the campus level,” as stated in the law’s
Section 2 (Declaration of Policy). The law also aims to “promote the development and
growth of campus journalism as a means of strengthening ethical values,
encouraging critical and creative thinking, and developing moral character and
personal discipline of the Filipino youth (Sec. 2).”
As regards having a publication adviser, the law states that it is optional at the
tertiary level. At the elementary and high school levels, the duly appointed faculty
adviser is even part of the editorial board (Sec. 3d, Editorial Board). Nevertheless,
the campus publication has a say in the selection of its faculty adviser. According to
Sec. 6 (Publication Adviser), he or she “shall be selected by the school administration
from a list of recommendees submitted by the publication staff.”
Please take note that the function of publication adviser is limited to technical
guidance (Sec. 6), and that he or she should not interfere with the contents of the
campus publication. From an editorial standpoint, technical guidance refers to
nuances in media production like checking the grammar of articles and ensuring
adherence to professional standards when it comes to the design and layout of the
pages.
His or her role is limited because autonomy should be given to campus
publications. The CJA, after all, recognizes that “a student publication is published by
the student body through an editorial board and publication staff composed of
students selected by fair and competitive examinations (Sec. 4, Student
Publication).” It adds, “Once the publication is established, its editorial board shall
freely determine its editorial policies and manage the publication’s funds (Sec. 4).”
From this provision, it is clear that the law seeks to uphold the editorial
independence of campus publications. This independence is defined not only in terms
of editorial content but also in terms of day-to-day operations, particularly fund
management. The law explicitly states, “In no instance shall the Department of
Education, Culture and Sports or the school administration concerned withhold the
release of funds sourced from the savings of the appropriations of the respective
schools and other sources intended for student publication. Subscription fees
collected by the school administration shall be released automatically to the student
publication concerned (Sec. 5, Funding of Student Publication).”
Much as the law has its strengths, it also has its share of weaknesses. For one,
the funding of the student publication is optional. Under Sec. 5 of the CJA, what’s
stated there is that funding “may include the savings of the respective school’s
appropriations, student subscriptions, donations, and other sources of funds (Sec. 5,
emphasis mine).” The use of the word “may” makes budget appropriation for student
publications optional. This provision of the CJA, ironically, has been invoked time and
again by some school administrators in depriving financial support to student
publications. For example, there are school administrators who would just simply
refuse to collect publication fees during enrollment and the student publication would
not be able to publish due to lack of funds.
Since the term “technical guidance” is not defined in Sec. 3 (Definition of
Terms), some school administrators and faculty advisers had liberally defined it based
on their own understanding or misunderstanding of the journalism profession.
Clearly, doing so had compromised the editorial independence of student
publications.
According to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in 2008, there
were reportedly 279 cases of campus press freedom violations (“CEGP reports 279
cases of campus press freedom violations,” GMA News online, June 7, 2008, retrieved
from http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/99878/news/nation/cegp-reports-
279-cases-of-campus-press-freedom-violations). CEGP says that 61 cases were
adviser/moderator intervention; 64 cases, censorship; and 41 cases, harassment.
“Other complaints concerned with publication fee collection, the non-release of
publication fee funds and illegal closure of publications were also included in the
report,” the GMA News online article notes.
In 2010, the CEGP had documented 204 campus press
freedom violations nationwide from 42 respondent
publications. While there is no new data on campus press
freedom violations, the information provided by CEGP is
alarming, especially in a situation where there is supposed
to be a law that promotes and upholds campus press freedom.
It is this context that we should look at various calls either for
the amendment or the repeal of the CJA. Since campus journalists
reportedly still become victims of harassment and
intimidation, the CJA is being perceived as useless
to students and prone to abuse by school officials.
It is not surprising that at the House of Representatives, there is now a pending
bill that seeks to repeal the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 and to replace it with a
Campus Press Freedom Act. Introduced on February 28, 2011 by Kabataan Partylist
Rep. Raymond Palatino and Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño, House Bill No.
4287 argues that while the CJA of 1991 has strong provisions, it is “insufficient and
lacking in material aspects to fully maintain the existence of the campus press.” To
quote from the bill’s explanatory note: “In the hands of devious school
administrators, the Campus Journalism Act places in jeopardy the existence of
campus publications nationwide.”
Among the features of the proposed Campus
Press Freedom Act is requiring all basic and
tertiary schools to establish at least one student
publication (Sec. 4, Student Publication). Sec. 6
(Independence) of the bill seeks to provide
autonomy from administrative intervention “with
regard to the handling of its funds, the content of
the articles the editorial board chooses to publish, the
selection of its publication staff and members of the
editorial board.”
It also adds that the operations of the student
publication “shall not be delayed, suspended or closed down
in connection with the articles it has published, or on the basis of the conduct or
performance of its staff without due process.”
As regards funding of student publications which is a fundamental weakness in
the CJA of 1991, the bill clearly states that it shall be “mandatory for the school
administration to collect student publication/subscription fees during the enrollment
period,” even if the members of the student publication could opt to collect the
publication funds themselves without administrative intervention (Sec. 7, Funding of
Student Publications).
On the other hand, Sec. 9 (Publication Adviser) of the bill seeks to make a
publication adviser’s appointment upon the discretion of the editorial board. In other
words, it is now possible for the student publication not to have a publication adviser.
In case a publication adviser is appointed, he or she shall only engage in “technical
assistance,” defined as anything “related to the grammatical concerns, proofreading
and the like (Sec. 9, Publication Adviser).”
Another advantage of the bill is the Sec. 15 (Administrative Sanctions) which
empowers the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority and the Department of Education, upon due investigation, to
impose administrative sanctions for campus press freedom violations like censorship
of editorial content and harassment and intimidation of campus journalists.
According to the website of the House of Representatives, the proposed
Campus Press Freedom Act has been referred on March 7, 2011 to the House
Committee on Basic Education and Culture and secondarily referred to the Committee
on Higher and Technical Education.
At this point, it would be therefore advisable for campus journalists to read and
understand not only the CJA of 1991 but also the proposed Campus Press Freedom
Act.
Now that we have discussed the current law and the proposed bill to replace it,
we should remind ourselves of our role as campus journalists so that we can better
justify the need to continue to fight for campus press freedom. The points I raise
here are culled from a column article I wrote on April 12, 2010 titled “Campus
journalists as `torch bearers'” which was published in the Asian
Correspondent (http://asiancorrespondent.com/31005/campus-journalists-as-
torch-bearers/).
In that article, I wrote: The campus press helps provide relevant information
to students so that they could make informed decisions. We all know that there are
so many issues confronting students. Campus journalists should help make sense of
the reality not only by providing the data but also the analysis. To borrow a
mathematical equation, INFORMATION = DATA + ANALYSIS; where the term DATA
refers to “observable reality” and the term ANALYSIS refers to the framework used
in making sense of what one observes through any one or a combination of his or
her five senses.
Given the advent of new media, the challenge for campus journalists is to not
just confine themselves to the print medium. Their publications should maintain a
Web presence. They should seriously consider opening accounts in popular social
networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and encourage their target audience
(students) to be part of their “virtual groups.”
In terms of writing skills, a campus journalist should be able to write well and
to write fast. In terms of disposition, he or she should develop the “nose for news”
or the ability to discern which is newsworthy in analyzing issues and events. But the
ability to provide in-depth analyses comes from a campus journalist’s understanding
of the history and context of the prevailing social reality. Through a much deeper
understanding of what is happening around him or her, a campus journalist is able
to analyze the prevailing social contradictions, as well as realize the reasons for the
age-old social conflicts.
Campus journalists are torch bearers in the sense that they try to shed light on
issues. As regards the latter, there should be no distinction between local and national
issues, but simply issues that affect, directly or indirectly, the lives of students.
In the discussion of issues, what makes campus journalists
different from their so-called professional counterparts is their
duty to relate all issues to their respective communities.
A discussion of low wages, for example, should consider how
students are affected by having an equally lower allowance. In other
words, campus journalists should not try to imitate the discussion in,
say, the mainstream media where analyses are often done in the context
of a much broader audience.
The main responsibility of campus journalists is to their
communities, and their analyses must therefore have that necessary
focus.
Campus journalists must therefore keep in mind their role in their
respective schools. To become real torch bearers, they should help open the minds
of students to the situation not only on campus but also in society as a whole. Truth-
telling is fulfilled when they are able to present both the data and the analysis of
issues.
I personally know campus
journalists both in high school and
college who know how to fight for
their rights. At the same time, there
are those who get harassed and
intimidated by school officials. By
joining student organizations that
promote and uphold campus press
freedom, campus journalists are
better guided not only in going
about their work but also in helping
fight for their rights.
What’s important to stress at
this point is that campus press freedom is integral to student rights. Related to this,
campus journalists should see themselves as part of the student movement and not
separate from it.
In conclusion, allow me to leave you this important message: All of us should
be aware of what’s happening in society so that we could better analyze burning
social issues and put everything in proper context. Our audience deserves nothing
less than quality coverage. That’s the only way journalists can help in the shaping of
public opinion, that’s the only way campus journalists can be relevant in their
respective communities.
Maraming salamat at, muli, isang mapagpalayang hapon sa inyong
lahat! Thank you very much and, again, a liberating afternoon to all of you.
Practice Task 2: Write at least 5 key ideas he wanted to emphasize to his readers
about RA 7079 and campus journalists.
IV. Summary/Key Points
Always remember that principles become powerful when applied and enacted. This
is the reason why Campus Journalism Act is one lawful protection to all the aspiring
and budding journalists to exercise press freedom in this democratic land.
V. End of Module Assessment (EMA)
1. Think of an ACRONYM of the principles discussed above. Simplify its
message through your created acronym. (10 points)
2. Relate RA 7079 to your teaching. What significant lessons and values do
we want our learners to be imbibed with? Write a reflection paper. (10
points)
VI. Looking Ahead
Access this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
7esKJDZqzQ and find out how does social media change
journalism, in general.
VII. Self and Module
Evaluation
How was your experience? Tell me about it
1- Needs Improvement, 2-Fair, 3-Good, 4-Very good, 5-Excellent
Self-Evaluation (Write your response below)
4 - I learned a lot from this module
3 - I learned just right.
2 - I still need guidance on certain topics.
1 - I don’t understand anything discussed.
Your Answer -
VIII. References
BOOKS
Cruz , Ceciliano- J. (2008). Basic Campus Journalism. Rex Bookstore: Manila.
Cruz, Ceciliano- J. (2010). Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising. 2nd
edition. Rex Bookstore: Manila.
Khan, R. E. (2010). Campus Journalism. Anvil Publishing: Quezon City.
Sunggay, R. R. (2014). Ink. Paper. Color. Sounds Pixel: A Campus Journalism
Book. MP Princess Digital Solutions: General Santos City.
ONLINE IMAGES
Campus Journalism. Retrieved last August 18 from
https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.HWp727iGWkVyLEAoCk_N-
gHaFu&pid=Api&P=0&w=206&h=160
Feather Wallpaper. Retrieved last August 17 from
https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.9WgxgQCnfnQJcBH0vw1uEgHaEK&pid=Api&P
=0&w=332&h=187
ONLINE SOURCES
Narvaez, J. The Development of Campus Journalism Retrieved on August18 from
http://socyberty.com/history/a-brief-history-of-campus-journalism-in-the-
philippines/
Orgezion, R. Campus Journalism in the Philippine Setting. Retrieved on August 18
from https://youthincmag.com/what-is-campus-journalism-why-do-students-need-
it
