The legal foundation for the SPJ may be found in Republic Act No. 7079, the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, which provides for the establishment of campus journalism in the country and emphasizes the importance of campus journalism in instilling values of responsibility, critical thinking, and discipline in students and contributes to the promotion of freedom of the press in the context of education. It also included certain provisions under the Department of Education Order No. 46, s. 2012, concerning Policy Guidelines on Special Curricular Programs. Its main objective was to establish the groundwork for developmental journalism and accommodate the special needs of learners in terms of improving their abilities and competencies for those who opt for journalism as a career through the implementation of the K to 12 Program.