INTRODUCTION

Campus Journalism Towards a Dynamic Educational Sphere

Campus Journalism in the Philippines

Campus journalism has a significant role in making the schools from primary until the
undergraduate education in making its environments dynamic for both learning and
relationship building among students and mentors. It is important in the academic world
because it allows students to hone their writing skills and voice their opinions on problems
that are important to the student body and the school's stakeholders (Natividad & Gapasin,
2021). This has been an avenue for students to feel their belongingness in their respective
learning environments as their participation is encouraged as a way of introducing and
exercising the practical rights that they are as well are privileged (e.g. right to information,
freedom of speech and expression even in their early age. With that provision, campus
journalism serves as a training ground for students interested in pursuing a career in
journalism (Cubillas & Cubillas, 2018).

Students’ early exposure to campus journalism, and not necessarily only among
campus journalists but student body as a whole introduced them to Article III - Section 4 of
the Philippine Constitution clearly declares that "No law shall be passed abridging the
freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances" thus they will grow up into
fine beings as they come to recognize their right as human-beings that they will surely bring
about all throughout their lives. Despite the fact that college journalism supports the
sovereignty and press freedom, students are nevertheless protected by their school
administration via their counselors. In the newsroom, these experts act as a catalyst for
student development (Valeza, Bermudo, & Yango, 2021) with that, Campus journalism at
schools pave the way for campus journalists to become 'torch carriers,' capable of opening
the minds of their co-students to circumstances and issues revolving around their school
and, at the same time, our society as a whole (Arao, D., 2013, as cited from Dela Rosa,
Lucero, & Vargas, 2021).

DepEd Order No. 46, series of 2012 expressly states that Special Curricular
Programs such as Science and Technology, Arts, Sports, Foreign Language, and Technical
Vocational Education are required, and of course, includes journalism (Tutor, 2021) imposes
the role of the school and its stakeholders to provide career pathways for students. School
administrators acknowledge that they, along with campus journalists, must constantly adapt
to the expanding relevance and importance of the internet, particularly social media, in the
field of campus journalism (Valeza, et al., 2021). In some cases, the school administration
even holds the publication's budget, and occasionally before the article/s are published, they
should be reviewed by the higher office to determine if there are any items in the passage
that could cast them in a negative light (Cortes, J., 2014 as cited from Dela Rosa, et al.,
2021), thus alongside the mandate of the school itself and its governing offices, campus
journalism must be regulated by a national spearhead and indeed, campus journalism is
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reinforced through a governing law which is the Republic Act 7079, otherwise known as the
Campus Journalism Act of 1991.

Republic Act no. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991

Republic Act 7079, otherwise known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 is
defined as “An Act Providing for the Development and Promotion of Campus Journalism and
for other Purposes.” It is stated on section 2 of the states to uphold and safeguard press
freedom on campus, and to support the formation and expansion of campus journalism as a
method of promoting ethical principles, fostering critical and creative thinking, and building
moral character and personal discipline in Filipino youth In fulfillment of this policy, the state
will implement a variety of programs and projects targeted at strengthening students'
journalistic skills and fostering responsible and free media (Supreme Court E-Library, n.d. &
Philippine Information Agency, 2016 as cited from Cubillas & Cubillas, 2018).

The Campus Journalism Act is further explicated through its operational definition of
terms as stipulated on Section 3 of the said law ((Supreme Court E-Library, n.d.). The
school is a basic, secondary, or tertiary educational institution composed of students,
administration, faculty, and non-faculty workers. A student publication is described as the
distribution of any printed content that is independently published by the student body and
fulfills their requirements and interests. A student journalist is any bona fide student
registered for the current semester or term who has passed or met the editorial board's
qualifications and standards. He must also maintain a satisfactory academic record. The
editorial board (in tertiary level) will be made up of student journalists who have passed
placement exams. In the case of elementary and secondary school levels, the editorial board
shall consist of a duly appointed faculty adviser, the qualified editor, 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 in question. With all
those understood, it is implied that campus journalists should be hands-on with their work.
Furthermore, it is a field that necessitates frequent connection with the social environment to
which an employee belongs. In certain ways, the worker could learn and practice the culture
by gradually going through the process of observing, imitating, learning, and finally practicing
(Dela Rosa, et al., 2021).

Competitions existed prior to the passage of RA 7079, but to further strengthen

campus journalism practice among students, the Division Schools Press Conference
(DSPC), Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC), and National Schools Press
Conference (NSPC) were established (Goh, 2014, as cited from Natividad and Gapasin,
2021). In fact, annual press conferences are a popular tradition in campus media. The
conferences are expressly established by the Department of Education (DepEd) to hone
talents and skills all throughout the country by bringing together university journalists and
placing them in various categories or fortes (Dela Rosa, et al., 2021). This is accorded on
section 8 of the said RA which entails about the Press Conferences and Training Seminars,
where the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports will hold competitions, news
conferences, and training seminars on a regular basis for student-editors/writers and
teacher-advisers of student publications at the elementary, secondary, and tertiary levels.
Such competitions, conferences, and seminars will be organized at the institutional,
divisional, and regional levels, culminating in the annual national elementary, secondary, or
tertiary School Press Conference in historical and/or culturally significant locations
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throughout the country (Supreme Court E-Library, n.d.). Hence the statute is also reinforced
by the DepEd as Stipulated on the Regional Memo 174 series (Cubillas & Cubillas, 2018).

Furthermore, it is also as important to note that section 7 of the law beholds the
Security of Tenure, which states that to remain on the publishing staff, a member of the
publication staff must maintain his or her position as a student. Additionally, section 9 is
about the rules and regulations of campus journalism; the need to circulate the rules and
regulations necessary for the effective implementation of the act among the proponents of
any campus journalistic organization. Section 10 also talks about the tax exemption. All
grants, endowments, gifts, or contributions utilized for the advancement of college journalism
as allowed for in this Act must be free from donor's or gift tax. All of the aforementioned
salient sections of the law are further implemented with appropriation and effectivity through
section 11 and 12 respectively.

CONCLUSION

The level of awareness in schools is determined by how well they understand the
requirements of the Republic Act (Cubillas & Cubillas, 2018). Moreover, it is equally
essential to recognize that campus journalism should function as a conduit for all members
of guiding the school and community toward acceptable educational and cultural
development goals As a ground for growth, the act does not need a background in
journalism prior to the school head appointing someone to oversee the program (Natividad,
et al., 2021) and the growth and proficiency of the young campus journalists as well as the
betterment of the function of school paper advisers and mentors can gradually be observed
and measured through their capability to fully exercise the provision of the law, efficient
mentorship through the development of students in the discipline as well as their capability to
do good in the field beyond the school premises as they pursue it as their career path, and
eventually when a student become a professional journalist claiming that these early
experiences inspired them of becoming. Then again, these can only be possible through the
compliance of RA 7079.
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References:

Cubillas, A. U., & Cubillas, T. E. (2Awareness and Compliance with Campus Journalism of the Public
and Private Elementary Schools: Basis for Crafting a Campus Journalism Implementation
Teachers’ Training Model. www.researchgate.net

Dela Rosa, J. H., Lucero, J. N., & Vargas, D. (2021). CAMPUS JOURNALISM: VARYING
CULTURES AND ITS EFFECTS TO SECONDARY CAMPUS JOURNALISTS. Available at
SSRN 3794713. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3794713

Natividad, A. M. B., & Gapasin, A. R. P. (2021). Public School Paper Advisers’ Assessment on the
Implementation of Campus Journalism Act in the Philippines.
https://www.dpublication.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/A25-907.pdf

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7079, July 05, 1991. (n.d.). Retrieve from https://tinyurl.com/mv4ekupw

Tutor, R. B. (2021). Development and Evaluation of Learning Module for Special Program in
Journalism. ASEAN Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 8, 19-34.
https://www.paressu.org/online/index.php/aseanmrj/article/view/264

Valeza, A. R., Bermudo, P. J. V., & Yango, A. R. (2021). Express Or Suppress: School Administrators’
understanding Of Campus Journalists’ freedom Of Expression. https://tinyurl.com/2j4bjzun