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OPINION
THE GRAIN
EDITORIAL BOARD SY 2020-2021 KEESHA CAMILLE F. RAMOS Editor-in-Chief KAE LANIE RAE S. ESGUERRA Associate Editor ILENE R. ONIA JERALD RAFAEL C. RAMIREZ Managing Editors CHRIZTEL ANNE C. BASBAS News Editor John Benedict S. Nacino Justine I. Garcia Angela Allen P. Cabrillas Banie Joanne D. Ong Darren M. Ballesteros Carmela V. Bajin
GRAVIN B. MERCADO Features Editor Lance Andrei P. De Jesus Alexia Yhuanne I. Fabia Nikka T. Macadangdang Eliza Neeh C. Bautista
JAN CARLO A. MARAÑA Science Editor Patricia Arabella R. Santos Justine Ace C. Sandoval Nicalaine M. Dizon Jaren Mykel A. Javate
JOHN JIMWELL B. RAFAEL DJULIANA ODESSA R. NIMES Sports Editors Esron B. Garcia Achillez Marcuz M. Cajayon
HANNAH ESTHER V. BRAVO Head Cartoonist John Zen O. Gabuni Raven C. Segui Nicole Princess C. Dela Peña
JEMIMA E. PAGAD Head Photojournalist MOSES JAMUEL M. ALFONSO Layout Artist ANGELIQUE C. LLENA KENNETH CHRISTOPHER S. DUMLAO VERA MAE R. RIGOR Advisers
GRACE V. BRAVO RUBY GRACE R. MALLARE ROMINA N. RAMOS PERCIVAL R. TABOR Language/Artwork Critics
MA. EVELYN R. REYES Head Teacher III, English
ALDRIN J. BALOC Principal III
EDITORIAL
The True Value The pandemic may have stopped us from doing important things, but it can never stop the impact of journalism in our lives. On March 20, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the Luzonwide Enhanced Community Quarantine when COVID-19 entered the country. This caused people to stay at home so that the virus will not spread. It affected many sectors like education, tourism, and transportation. Still, even though it created a significant impact on our lives, the pandemic highlighted the importance of journalism. Before the pandemic, the only issues important to most people would be show business scoops, politics, holidays, and class suspensions. However, during the pandemic,
While the campus journalists increased their knowledge in writing, they also discovered what their roles are in these times of the pandemic, that is, to report information with fairness, debunk fake news, and simplify the complex.
when people were forced to stay at home, they have become more interested in learning what happens around through reading, viewing, or listening to news. Without these, people would not be aware of the number of COVID cases as well as the government’s plan of action. In the case of campus journalism, many students found the ‘lockdown’ as an opportunity to strengthen their skills. From the early months of the pandemic, various contests, Online Press Conferences (OPC) to be exact, were popular among the young writers. These OPCs are not just venues to win a coveted prize but an opportunity for growth. While the campus journalists increased their knowledge in writing, they also discovered what their roles are in these times of the pandemic, that is, to report information with fairness, debunk fake news, and simplify the complex. The OPCs also opened up opportunities for the student journalists to write as a whole. One of these pages is The Scientific Process that aims to write articles that give simplified view in complicated scientific terms and analogies that the readers can understand, aside from that, they also correct some pseudoscience that can be found on the internet. There are also student publications that created social media pages for them to post their articles. These pages aimed to inform the people in their locality what the happening about their place or in school is. Journalists work hand-in-hand to play their role amid the pandemic, trying to help to spread factual information to the people. With this kind of teamwork, people will have access to the news that they deserve. Journalism, at this time, is essential.
