25/07/2025
The Campus Journalists are for the newspaper, and the newspaper is for the student body—its people.
Today, July 25, 2025, marks the 6th anniversary of National Campus Press Freedom Day. Signed ironically by the very iron fist of Rodrigo Duterte—the same “iron fist” whose regime spilled blood across the media landscape, with journalists harassed, silenced, and killed.
Republic Act 11440, also known as the National Campus Freedom Day Act, is a law that recognizes campus journalism as a vital part of the media ecosystem. It is to promote, protect, and safeguard the right to freedom of expression, speech, and the press. It acknowledges that student journalism is a core part of the media—and asks every school to celebrate and defend campus press freedom on July 25.
Yet, despite this law, restraints for press freedom continue to plague campus journalists around the country, such as redtagging and institutional interference with their press freedom:
In January 2025, the staff of Today's Carolinian at the University of San Carlos received an eviction notice from their administration, stating that their office will be converted into a workspace for alumni.
In February 2025, Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges ignited controversy. The Spark faced rebuke from a local politician regarding their mock selection survey, which led a senior editor to harassment.
On February 19, 2024, TomasinoWeb faced a social media operations halt due to the interventions of their Office for Student Affairs (OSA) to take down a photo of students entering a convenience store inside the campus that had a similar style of uniform, and was to cause "Public Ridicule". This led to the resignation of their publication adviser.
The NUntium itself has faced censorship throughout the years and operated with zero funding. Only recently was it granted funding through integration of the publication fee into the miscellaneous fees. This, too, became controversial as it had faced a petition questioning the purpose of the said fee.
But despite all these restraints and hardships, The NUntium will remain committed and dedicated to serving the Nationalians with truth and fairness, veritas et aequitas. And with its funding finally coming into fruition, the publication is more equipped to be more critical and fearless in the institution it is writing for.
As the student press will always serve the student body first, always.
