TOP ACHIEVERS PRIVATE SCHOOL, INC.

Alicia; Cauayan; Santiago; Roxas; Solano; Ilagan

“The School of the Future”

Module in Campus Journalism

Month of September
CHAPTER 2: The Campus Paper and the Publication Staff
INTRODUCTION
Campus journalism helps student become more aware of what’s happening around
them. They learn how to become responsive and proactive citizens at a young age.
Additionally, it helps and trains students to become responsible. Student journalists are
taught and trained to practice fairness, balance, and truthfulness.
This chapter discusses the campus paper and publication staff where readers will
get to know the functions of campus papers. It provides the brief history of Campus
Journalism from the first publication up to this time. And, explains the duties and
responsibilities of different publication staff, as well as the existing policies.

TOPIC 1: The National Paper

Before delving on campus paper, it is wise to start the discussion on a supralevel.
This is for you to primarily understand the concept of the system that campus paper has.
Thus, a newspaper is a publication sold and distributed regularly in a fixed interval. It
may be monthly, bi-monthly, weekly, daily, etc. and this is because newspapers fall
under the category “periodicals.” usually, news in newspapers is meant to be
persuasive, and this is why some news includes opinions and comments that stimulate
reactions from the readers. Another latent function of newspapers is to entertain by the
use of photos, cartoons, quizzes and other interesting features.
Papers published every day are called dailies, while those are published weekly
are called weeklies. National papers are widely available and easily bought.
National papers fall under two categories: the popular paper and the heavy or
quality papers.
Popular papers present their news in a lively fashion with easy-to-read articles
and many photographs. Heavy or quality papers are printed with longer articles
stressing on important and serious events in the country.
Some newspaper publishers produce Sunday papers sometimes, with the same
nameplate as the daily papers. These are not Sunday editions of the dailies but instead,
they are of different editors and editorial staff. The reason behind this is the availability
of more people to read during Sundays. The price of the Sunday paper tends to be
higher than the regular paper, but it contains more news.
TOPIC 2: The Campus Paper
The Campus Paper is the version of the national newspaper within an academic
institution. In other words, it is a pioneer in the publishing industry as a free newspaper
of the students by the students and for the students to circulate within the academic
community. The Campus Paper may broaden its reach like the community and other
agencies in the society.
With the advent of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, otherwise known as
Republic Act Numbered 7079, the establishment of campus publication in basic
education and in higher learning institutions has been legalized.
Since the campus paper is run by the students, they have the chance to simulate
the daily newspaper's characteristics at the same time act as journalists in their own
fields. It should be noted that the campus paper is contextualized within the institution;
hence, priority issues should emanate from the institution before touching local, national
and international concerns. It is observed that the size and frequency of the paper vary,
depending on the policies of the editorial board, the fund or publication budget and the
population of the learning institution. There are higher learning institutions which collect
a campus paper fee that can finance a semestral release of a newsletter, a tabloid, a
magazine, a broadsheet and sometimes a literary folio. The school, too, may decide to
release a special edition of its publication or organ during intramurals and foundation
days or on any special occasions.
In many instances, though school papers under the Department of Education opt
to release newsletters due to the consideration of the fund, the population and the
scope.
What should go into the Campus Paper?
Campus journalism serves as a means to strengthen the ethical values and to
encourage the creative and critical thinking of the Filipino youth. It also helps in
developing the personal discipline and moral character of the young.
Campus Journalism is one of the most effective means of teaching students the
basic and advanced writing techniques and inculcating in them the values of work and
fair judgment. It is a good training ground for future journalists or for writers. Through
the school paper, student writers are able to develop their skills and enhance their craft.
Moreover, with campus paper, both the campus journalists and the target audience
are helped appreciate the role of the press in shaping public opinion. Primarily, the
campus paper promotes the best interest not only of the students but also of the faculty
and the administration. The paper is a conduit for the pleasant and wholesome
relationship between the teachers and their students. It is an avenue where students
ventilate their opinions, including their grievances. In fact, many school papers in higher
learning institutions maximize these functions.
Today, the campus paper has become an avenue to expose anything against
anyone. This brings problems with the editorial board's security of responsibility,
objectivity and fairness. Student writer may write about as is anything; they observe
responsibility, objectivity and fairness, thus hearing both sides of the issue. For instance,
student writers must not only publish an article about teachers who are enraged with
students, but must also look into the reasons why teachers are engaged, through
interview with the teachers. Remember, the prime cause of a campus paper is to create
a campus conducive for learning and to advance the quality of education.
TOPIC 3: A Brief History of Campus Journalism
This history of campus journalism is penned by Alixander Haban Escote (August
28, 2008) and is retrieved from http://socyberty.com/history/a-brief-historyof-
campusjournalism-in-the-philippines/.
According to Jesus Valenzuela in the History of Journalism in the Philippine Islands
(1933) and John Lent in the Philippine Mass Communication (1964), the history of
campus journalism in the Philippines started when the University of Santo Tomas
published El Liliputiense in 1890.
However, Oscar Manalo, Narciso Matienzo, and Virgilio Monteloyola in Ang
Pamahayagan (1985) argued that the history of campus journalism in the country
started when the University of the Philippines published The College Folio, now The
Philippine Collegian, in 1910. They also added that The Torch of the Philippine Normal
University, The Guidon of the Ateneo de Manila University, and The Varsitarian of the
University of Santo Tomas were also published two years later.
Whatever came first, Carlos Romulo y Pea edited The Coconut, the official student
publication of Manila High School, now the Araullo High School. It was published in 1912
and it is now considered the first and oldest high school newspaper in the country.
1923, La Union High School in the llocos Region published The La Union Tab, the
first printed and regularly issued high school newspaper in the country. Since then, high
school newspapers came out one after the other.
Among these high school newspapers were The Pampangan, Pampanga High
School, 1925; The Leytean, Leyte High School, 1925; The Rizalian, Rizal High
School,1926; The Coconut, Tayabas High School, 1927; The Volcano, Batangas High
School,1927; The Toil, La Union Trade School, 1928; The Samarinian, Samar High School,
1928; The Melting Pot, Tarlac High School, 1929; The Granary, Nueva Ecija High School,
1929; The Torres Torch, Torres High School, 1930; and The Cagayan Student Chronicle,
Cagayan High School, 1931.
TOPIC 4: Functions of Campus Papers
A campus paper may be mimeographed or printed, published or released by an
organization or school whose name or logo appears in the masthead or in the editorial
box. The campus paper like any other media has functions. Harold Spears and C.H.
Lawshe Jr. (from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Functions-Of-a-
CampusPaper1317897.html), as cited also by Sison et al. (2012), provide the following
campus paper's main functions.
Aid to Students
1. Provides opportunity for interesting writing
2. Gives students the opportunity to learn how to read the newspapers
3. Acts as stimulus to better work
4. Develops students' power of observation and discrimination concerning relative merits
of news articles
5. Serves as outlet and motivation for journalistic writing
6. Offers training in organizations, business methods, commercial arts, salesmanship,
bookkeeping and business management
7. Develops qualities of cooperation, tact, accuracy, tolerance, responsibility, and
leadership
Aid to School and Community
a. Informs the community of the work of the school
b. Publishes school news
c. Creates and expresses school opinions
d. Makes known the achievements of the school
e. Helps unify the school
f. Encourages and stimulates worthwhile activities
g. Develops right standard of conduct
h. Provides an outlet for students' suggestions for the betterment of the school
i. Develops better interschool relationship
j. Develops school spirit
k. Develops cooperation between the parents and the school