Journalism-8
RA 7079 or
Campus Journalism
Act of 1991
Objectives:
1. enumerate specific provisions of the
Campus Journalism Act of 1991;
2. determine the responsibilities of the people
involved in Campus Journalism Act; and
3. present the entire concept of Campus
Journalism Act.
Pre-Test
The following are statements about Campus
Journalism Act of 1991. Before reading the
media laws, check (√) beside those
statements if you agree. Write your answer on
a separate sheet of paper.
Pre-Test
_____1. Campus Journalism promotes free
and responsible journalism among students.
_____2. In selecting the editorial board
members, teachers may recommend potential
writers though informal examinations.
Pre-Test
_____3. The school administrators may collect
funds for the savings of the organization and
for the contests, without publishing a school
paper.
_____4. The student publication must be
published by the adviser’s written works.
Pre-Test
_____5. A staff or a member may maintain
his/ her status as a student-writer even when
he/ she is expelled or suspended.
_____6. A student-journalist must maintain a
satisfactory academic standing.
Pre-Test
_____7. A student who is enrolled in the
current semester/ school year may participate
in the selection of members through fair
examinations.
_____8. Publication adviser must be selected
by the school head.
Pre-Test
_____9. The publication adviser’s function
shall be limited to one of technical guidance.
_____10. A publication staff must maintain
his or her status as student in order to retain
membership in the publication staff.
Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared
policy of the State to uphold and protect the freedom of
the press even at the campus level and 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.
In furtherance of this policy, the State shall undertake
various programs and projects aimed at improving the
journalistic skills of students concerned and promoting
responsible and free journalism.
Section 3. Definition of Terms. –
(a) School. – An institution for learning in the
elementary, secondary or tertiary level comprised of
the studentry, administration, faculty and non-
faculty personnel;
(b) Student Publication. – The issue of any printed
material that is independently published by, and
which meets the needs and interests of, the
studentry;
Section 3. Definition of Terms. –
(c) Student Journalist. – Any bona fide student
enrolled for the current semester or term, who was
passed or met the qualification and standards of the
editorial board. He must likewise maintain a
satisfactory academic standing.
Section 3. Definition of Terms. –
(d) Editorial Board. – In the tertiary level, the
editorial board shall be composed of student
journalists who have qualified in placement
examinations. In the case of elementary and high
school levels, the editorial board shall be composed of
a duly appointed faculty adviser, the editor who
qualified and a representative of the Parents-
Teachers' Association, who will determine the
editorial policies to be implemented by the editor and
staff members of the student publication concerned.
Section 3. Definition of Terms. –
(e) Editorial Policies. – A set of guidelines by which a
student publication is operated and managed, taking
into account pertinent laws as well as the school
administration's policies. Said guidelines shall
determine the frequency of the publication, the
manner of selecting articles and features and other
similar matters.
Section 4. Student Publication.
– A student publication is published by the student
body through an editorial board and publication staff
composed of students selected but fair and
competitive examinations.
Once the publication is established, its editorial
board shall freely determine its editorial policies and
manage the publication's funds.
Section 5. Funding of Student Publication.
Funding for the student publication may include
the savings of the respective school's appropriations,
student subscriptions, donations, and other sources of
funds.
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 the student
publication. Subscription fees collected by the school
administration shall be released automatically to the
student publication concerned.
Section 7. Security of Tenure.
– A member of the publication staff must maintain
his or her status as student in order to retain
membership in the publication staff. A student shall
not be expelled or suspended solely on the basis of
articles he or she has written, or on the basis of the
performance of his or her duties in the student
publication.
Section 8. Press Conferences and Training Seminar.
– The Department of Education, Culture and Sports
shall sponsor periodic competitions, press conferences
and training seminars in which student-editors/writers
and teacher-adviser of student publications in the
elementary, secondary and tertiary levels shall
participate. Such competitions, conferences and
seminars shall be held at the institutional, divisional,
and regional levels, culminating with the holding of the
annual national elementary, secondary or tertiary School
Press Conferences in places of historical and/or cultural
interest in the country.
Section 9. Rules and Regulations.
– The Department of Education, Culture and Sports,
in coordination with the officers of the national
elementary, secondary or tertiary organizations or
official advisers of student publications, together with
student journalists at the tertiary level and existing
organizations of student journalists, shall promulgate
the rules and regulations necessary for the effective
implementation of this Act.
Section 10. Tax Exemption.
– Pursuant to paragraph 4, Section 4, Article XIV of
the Constitution, all grants, endowments, donations,
or contributions used actually, directly and
exclusively for the promotion of campus journalism
as provided for in this Act shall be exempt from
donor's or gift tax.
Campus Journalism was legalized in the country
through Republic Act 7079 on July 1, 1995, which
mandates the Department of Education “to conduct
and implement programs in various aspects of
journalism.”
Guide Questions:
1. What Republic Act legalized the operation of
campus papers in the country?
2. Who supervises the editorial staff and gives
technical assistance to the writers?
3. What term refers to the version of newspapers in
the school setting?
4. How are the student-writers being selected?
5. From the presented Republic Act, what are its
advocacies?
1. Anyone from the enrolled student in the school
who passed and met the qualification and
standards of the editorial board
2. The organization’s savings coming from the
donations, school appropriations, savings, and
other sources.
3. A teacher who was listed from the
recommendees, and has a function limited to
technical guidance
4. The process on selecting the editorial staff
5. Sources and savings of the organization is
intended for this
6. These are set of guidelines on how the
publication must be managed and operated, how
the articles will be distributed, and the frequency of
publication
7. A student journalist’s academic standing should
maintain
8. It is an institution where free and responsible
journalism is promoted and developed
9. It is composed of student- journalists who
qualified the fair examinations
