Letran SHS Fourth Estate partakes in the Ditto Sarmiento Journalism Cup: Lecture Series
OCTOBER 3, 2021Danielle Margareth Piler & Kiersten Dane Olivas
SUNDAY, October 3, 2021 - As a tribute to the late Abraham “Ditto” Sarmiento Jr., the Alpha Bhi Beta Fraternity - UP College of Law in cooperation with the UP Department of Journalism, organized a lecture series as part of the Ditto Sarmiento Journalism Cup (DSJC) via Facebook Live and Zoom Conference. The lecture was divided into 9 AM to 12 NN (AM Session) and 2 PM to 6 PM (PM Session).
Ditto Sarmiento Jr. was a member of the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity Batch 1967. He was the former Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Collegian from 1975 to 1976 during the Martial Law. He remarked the famous words, “Kung hindi tayo kikibo, sino ang kikibo? Kung hindi tayo kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?”
The DSJC aims not only to determine the best young journalists in the country, but more importantly, to inspire and to instill the values of free, responsible, and critical journalism. Mr. Karl Rolecio, a member of the Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity. The host for the AM session briefly introduced the first speaker for Advocacy Journalism, Mr. Jules Guiang, a former News Anchor and TV Host of PTV-4 and the Head of Community of Rappler.
Opening his lecture, Mr. Guiang mentioned that as time goes by, Ditto Sarmiento’s prominent words are still very much alive especially in the present generation. “Tayo ang magpapakibo, tayo ang magpapakilos, hindi bukas pero ngayon na,” he stated.
He, too, added the issues about fake news and cited examples that are continuously circulating in the media and society. As well as the misconceptions regarding biases in mainstream media.
“Kasi para sa ‘kin, bilang mga alagad ng media, syempre patas at balanse dapat ang ating mga binabalita,” he said. Mr. Guiang also added that being biased is actually acceptable, as everyone have their own opinions and views towards a certain side. But, as a journalist, the most important thing is that they are biased for the truth and justice. “Basta mayroon kang katapangan na isiwalat ang katotohanan kahit ano pa ang maging kapalit nito,” he exclaimed.
Indeed, the proliferation of envelopmental journalism continues as years passed by. Hence, this kind of practice is a sign of corruption, and it decreases the credibility of the whole media industry as the information can be manipulated for favorable media coverage. “Sana, ‘wag natin hayaang mangyari ‘to. Bagamat mayroon tayong mga pangangailangan bilang tao, ang hamon sa ‘tin ay maging tapat sa katotohanan at hindi iyong mamanipulahin natin ‘to, kapalit ng nakasisilaw na salapi,” he advised.
Following the issue about envelopmental journalism, he then shared his personal experiences from 2012, where he’s still a working student at UP; of course, he didn’t tolerate that kind of act.
As Mr. Guiang ends his discussion, he left a few words, “Kumibo at magpakibo, kumilos at magpakilos, hindi bukas kung hindi ngayon na.”
Moving on to the second speaker for Editorial Writing, the host introduced Atty. Ryan Balisacan, a former Managing Editor of the Philippine Collegian and a Lecturer of Law at the following school institutions: University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of the East (UE).
Mr. Balisacan started his discussion by introducing what Editorial Writing is all about. “The first thing that you have to understand about an Editorial is that it is an opinion piece. It is not a news article,” he started. In addition to this, the first thing that distinguishes an editorial from the news is that it has a clear bias, unlike news articles where objectivity is required.
Continuing his lecture, Mr. Balisacan tackled the basics and structures of an Editorial piece. He stated: “When you decide what topic you’ll write on in Editorial, part of the criteria that you’ll have to look into is may makikialam ba? Mayroon bang makikinig doon sa sasabihin ko?”
Undoubtedly, an Editorial piece must still be newsworthy, and that an Editorial writer needs to show and prove that their article is essential, urgent, and relevant in society. Its aim is not to please everyone. Thus, it’s supposed to be direct and has a natural, lasting impact on the reader.
As the lecture went deeper, Mr. Balisacan presented some examples of Editorials from different publications to further emphasize the structure and the concept of an Editorial article. Following, he then selflessly shared some tips and advice regarding writing an Editorial piece. “Always strive for logical, not emotional appeal,” he exclaimed, implying that an Editorial must persuade the public in a logical way of thinking and reasoning.
To formally end his lecture, he stated, “An editorial is supposed to present a clear and strong stand, backed-up by substantive and logically sound arguments.”
Continuing the discussion for the AM Session, the host introduced the last speaker, Prof. Rachel Khan, the Associate Dean of UP College of Mass Communication, for the lecture regarding Feature Writing.
Prof. Khan started off her lecture by briefly reviewing the difference between News and Literary format. In particular, she also said that Feature Writing lies between News and Literary format, as it solely depends on the writer. She then tackled the basics in writing the Lead, Body, and Conclusion parts of a Feature article.
“Also, Feature story starts with a catchy introduction,” she remarked while discussing the basics in writing the Lead of a feature story. Even more, Prof. Khan presented 7 alternative leads for features: Setting the Scene, Comparison or Contrast Lead, Historical Allusion, Anecdote, First Person Lead, Direct-Address Lead, and Quotation Lead.
According to Prof. Khan, in writing the body of a feature article, there’s no fixed format— making feature writing more exciting since the writer is freer to express their insights towards a specific topic or issue. Furthermore, she emphasized the concept of a feature article by presenting some articles to the participants.
“Reading more feature articles, whether local or foreign, would also give you ideas of how to approach your feature,” she advised, serving as her final words to end her informative lecture.
Moving on to the PM session, Mr. Roan Libarios, the master of ceremony, introduced the speaker for Journalism Ethics, Mr. Danilo Arao, and Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, an Editor of Media Asia, and an Associate Editor of Bulatlat.
To start his discussion, he mentioned the Journalism Principles: Truth-telling, Justice, Humaneness, Stewardship, and Freedom. He also said the importance of defending press freedom and not a form of activism or leftism. “You cannot practice journalism without freedom,” Mr. Arao stated.
Moreover, he also discussed the 3 ethical commands and issues in the digital space. “It is better to be right than to be the first kasi we do not gamble the truth,” he highlighted while on the topic of how fast-paced the digital world is.
Mr. Arao also related the quote “Those who have less in life should have more in laws” to journalism, “Those who have less in life should have more platforms or screen time”.
He then presented the historical distortion of Bongbong Marcos’ interview, questioning why liars are given a platform while those who need it are not. To conclude his discussion, the audience was given a chance to ask questions regarding the topics mentioned, followed by the awarding of the certificate of appreciation.
On the next topic, the host introduced the resource speaker for news writing, Mr. Janvic Mateo, a Journalism professor at UP and a Politics, Human Rights, Education, Climate Change, and Science and Technology writer for The Philippine Star.
Mr. Mateo kicked off his discussion with the fundamentals of news writing, defining its basic terminologies. “Hindi ka nagsusulat para ipakita na magaling ka gumamit ng flowery words, the only goal is to inform, ” he remarked.
Subsequently, he discussed news values, topics and themes, news production, and news sources. He affirmed that “authority” does not just refer to people in power. Instead, it is about people who have the authority to speak on certain matters.
“Sa transportation for example, hindi yung LTFRB lang kasi sila yung may power, kukunin mo yung side ng jeepney drivers since sila yung may authority magsalita tungkol sa issue,” he added.
In addition, he discussed how to write a news story, highlighting the importance of mentioning the most important details first. “Pag nagkukwento nga tayo...you go straight to the point diba?” he stated.
Mr. Mateo then presented local and international articles to give some tips and emphasize his points, specifically the different angles one can take on a topic. Before ending the discussion, the host gave the audience a chance to ask the speaker questions, followed by a photo opportunity.
To formally conclude the said event, Mr. Roan presented the certificate of appreciation to the speakers, followed by his closing remarks.