PROMPT WEAPON

BY LALAINE ANTIGO

Student publications and campus journalism have been around since the Philippines was placed under colonial rule even during both the Spanish and American periods. To understand the role of campus publications, one needs to be reminded of the oppressive systems Filipinos were subjected to. Their move was similar to the actions taken by the likes of Marcelo del Pilar, Jose Rizal, and other members of the propaganda movement.

Our career as campus journalists is to be agents of change in the campus and for the whole society, for if we do not accomplish our role as agents of change, we help uphold an unhelpful system to our survival To inform, to educate, and to be a catalyst of change; it is for these that we exist, but not everyone knows this Some write with difficult, flowery words Some do not write and publish when issues break We fail to inform

Campus journalism is a public service

We need to stop thinking that our role is to only to show our intelligence. When we write about issues, we stop at complaining and ranting. We fail to dig into the context on why these issues are important. We do not suggest solutions. We do not dig deeper into the irregularities. We fail to educate. And we just stop there. We do not persist in looking for a better way. We settle for just finishing the work.

Another issue was the training given to students, the same way how journalists in the media applied what they have learned on the field Some who joined the school's press conference were preselected by their teachers, believing they have potential to excel, some were chosen to participate because there are no other better choices, and for exposure purposes; while there are some who are genuinely eager to be part of the the world of journalism