11/09/2026
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฌ | ๐ง๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
๐๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ด
๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ '๐๐๐๐๐๐๐' ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ๐ด ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต?
When a student publication becomes more of a photo gallery for events than a vital source of information, its core value is further compromised. In recent times, perceptions about campus journalism are on a slippery slope. The general masses tend to be swayed by cravings for viral trends, so time and time again, vital information about what happens outside the gossip is left out to spoil. Undeniably, internet culture blurs the line between content and story. When the line gets thinner and thinner, it will inevitably become indiscernible.
๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐. ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น
For a platform built for disseminating factual information, amplifying the voice of the student body, and promoting press freedom, campus publications are called out when engagement falls more heavily on the hottest gossip than on grounded university stories. A thin line separates the decision of providing people the information that they need and the information that they want. The viral gives people entertainment and comfort, which ultimately catches attention, while the vital tends to be deviated from for being unsettling or disturbing.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ
The campus press is not meant to cover stories that satisfy the publicโs notion of an ideal world the public pretends to live in; it is meant to open the publicโs eyes to what the clouds are hiding behind the sky. A fond photograph of the 10-foot tarp and gold medals around student athletesโ necks is one story, but the budget cuts that reduced their meals and added struggles they had to endure to catch the last bus ride homeโexhausted from training yet still hours away from their bedโis another.
While comfort sways public eyes to fawn over viral and shiny trophies, it shadows the context behind them. Almost every day, tabloids are now often measured by the worth it brings to the world. It tells us that the desire for fast-paced content and the cannibalistic instinct drive them to consume a poison that slowly crawls inside their veins.
The perception of campus journalism is slowly being reduced to those who recognize achievements and the excellence it brings to the institution. What more would it take for most people to realise that our conviction to write for the people is still here?
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
Everything starts within school walls. Fostering an environment that puts so much attention on gossip will inevitably form a hunger that deviates away from the purpose of what makes journalism so significant. It became a lingering ache despite breaking down every stereotype, the absurd irony that destroyed this certainty: that the press is still here to fight against the shackles of societal pressure against the prejudice society experienced throughout the decades.
The status quo now renders truth as being measured by how it is recognized, rather than how it is valued. It almost feels like fireflies, slowly blinking their dying light where most places seemed dimmed, to shed light around their embrace. ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐ง, ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ค๐ฌ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐จ๐ข ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ข๐๐, ๐๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ก๐ก๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐. Some say the press has lost the essence of what it means to bite back towards those that control our voices; however, the commitment of the press was never to conform in silence.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
Campus journalists endure to promote and uphold the truth for studentsโserving to make sure that the student body stays informed about whatโs truly factual and refusing to leave clues for the people to stay wondering. Yet as much as campus publications across the country thirst for transparency, there have been instances that have directly or indirectly intervened with campus publication work.
Despite laws recognizing campus journalism, like Republic Act No. 7079 that promote and protect campus press freedom, there are still loopholes present. Journalists face outright red-tagging, administrative surveillance, and even suspension from their duties and studies without reasonable cause. Yes, the law protects the press, but it does not reprimand those who commit the wrongdoing. Young journalists are insidiously compelled to abide by the cultureโwatchdogs become the ones being watched.
Participating in campus presswork as a student carries risks that extend not only to journalistic safety, but also to their academic standing. The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) recorded at least 206 cases of attacks against campus papers from 2023-2024, over 1,000 since 2010, and another case just recently from a campus publication in Maguindanao.
Even after campus journalists risk their safety, standing, and sanityโgrit remains. It refuses to believe that the student body only sees campus journalism as public relations. ๐ผ๐ฃ ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐, ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐จ๐จ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ค.
Journalists entered this field to cross beyond the line and to draw it even further. The press never stays before the line that most people enforce around themselves; this field dares to fight away the agonizing hold of censorship and to always stand for the truth.
In the end, campus journalists endure to scrutinize, examine, and present the reality that directly affects student lifeโprioritizing accountability by asking the uncomfortable questions over the flashy triumphs. To reclaim its true purpose once more, they must pivot. Shifting the focus away from shallow gossip and directing it towards what this platform is made for. By informing students whatโs been lurking beyond the walls of success, the masses will be driven further to draw the line beyond success.
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๐๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ
