Opinion

Innovations in Campus Journalism

by Vince Angela Mariel Flores

August 19, 2022

School publications were challenged on how to officially take on their roles as campus journalists during the online set up. This is contrary to what they used to do during the face-to-face set up; they are on-ground, visible, alert, and ready to take on their post as they serve their community in delivering information, creating on-ground event coverage, and lastly, conquering Press Conferences.

It has been perceived that the lack of social participation and skill practicing can affect one’s ability to improve and maintain their skills in talent. This can be related to the skills of campus journalists that were put on hold because of opportunities taken away due to the pandemic. That is why it is a great challenge for the school publication to persist through these challenges of distance learning. It had taken away face-to-face training, competitions, on-ground journalism practices, physical seminars, and even personal interaction with their fellow campus journalists and the community itself.

Since the pandemic started, everything has shifted to an online set up; this goes the same for the classes, seminars that were then called “webinars,” competitions, and the so-called Digital/Electronic Publication. But even pre-pandemic, physical newspapers are not consumed anymore by most people since digital information sharing platforms have already arisen, and most people own a smartphone with immediate access to information. In this time of the digital age, social media is the biggest information sourcing and sharing platform used widely all over the world. This is one of the mediums that is rampantly used by news companies and news publications. And even a regular concerned citizen could actually share information and make it on #Trend because of social media, then curated into news articles and featured stories. This widely reaches a greater mass of audiences and readers not just within a single community but everyone who has access to the internet and the platform.

Campus journalism on digital platforms?

A big leap of faith. Something innovative and creative has to be embodied to produce such content online to catch the attention of the netizens. But to cope up with the current trends, it takes much effort, time, skill, and passion to produce such read and watch-worthy content. This comes in utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and recently most used app---TikTok. This is where netizens commonly spend their time getting information and spreading it to their peers and community. It could easily persuade its readers even if it contains a line from its soundbites, some can have misinformation and disinformation contents, and its audiences totally misunderstand some. That is why it is a challenge not just to media companies but to the whole journalism community to combat such fake news and misinformation spreading online, and this is also to protect the credibility of the press.

This is where school publications could step up their game towards the online community. Being composed of campus journalists who are used to utilizing social media platforms and technological advancements could alleviate the spreading of misinformation across the community. Apart from combating such social issues, this could also train the campus journalists towards the real work and responsibility of true members of the press. This can hone their talents in researching and storytelling, catching their readers’ attention.

Taking on the digital community is a big battlefield of differences and shared opinions on issues and important matters; hence it is a must that campus journalists taking into this world should know the responsibilities, accountability, and the importance of credibility in publishing online. There is no perfect story that could capture the attention of the masses, but it is better that it sets the right foot for those who actually reach this. It gives the campus journalist a wide view of how big their responsibility is as the person who speaks, affirms, exposes, and spreads the truth.

School publications and campus journalists do not just function during seminars and competitions; these passionate individuals uphold their mission and vision of serving their community, doing more than just publishing the traditional newspaper. It is taking on the real world of information sharing, spreading, and fact-checking. It is more than just writing articles; campus journalism is also in the works of brainstorming contents, researching, script writing, video editing, layouting publication materials, broadcasting and directing live streams, and being present in times where its service is needed and whole-heartedly present themselves to their community. There is always innovation from every change, and there is always an answer to the call of duty in serving the people. There is no hindrance for every passionate campus journalist towards Service, Truth, Excellence, and Progress.