Philippine High School Publication History

High School Publication - A Brief History

• High school student publications are nearly as old as the Philippine public school system
• The first mimeographed newspaper began in 1911-1912
• Student publication was introduced as an extracurricular activity in public high schools, shortly after its adaptation in American High Schools and colleges
• The first regularly printed high school paper was the La Union Tab of La Union High School, published in 1923
• Circular Letter No. 34 s. 1929, issued by the Bureau of Education and signed by Director Luther B. Bewley, was the first significant regulation for high school papers
• On October 22, 1945, Acting Executive Officer John H. McBridge Jr. of the Department of Instruction and Information sent a letter requiring school papers consist chiefly of articles about school activities
• The first school paper in Manila public high schools, The Coconut, was established during the school year 1911-1912
• The Coconut was a mimeographed paper from the old Manila High School (now Araullo High School) and edited by Carlos P. Romulo
• The Torres Torch of Torres High School was second, with its first issue in September 1930
• The Mapazette of Mapua High School and The Chronicler of Arellano High School followed in 1940
• Formal classroom instruction in high school journalism started in 1952
• Mrs. Sarah England, an American teacher at Mapa High School, started teaching journalism
• Four schools, Araullo, Torres, Arellano, and Abad Santos, added journalism as a vocational subject held on a daily double period
• In 1964, Mrs. Clehenia San Juan, Head of English in Araullo High School, was appointed Journalism supervisor
• Journalism was a second-year vocational subject, a third-year optional subject, and a fourth-year elective
• Journalism classes trained writers in news, feature stories, interviews, speech reports, editorials, editorial columns, sports stories, critical reports, interpretative and depth news, and development news

Journalism in General

• "Journal" originates from the Latin word "diurnal", meaning "daily"
• Short bulletins of battles, fires, and elections were called "acta diurnal," meaning daily "events" in ancient Rome
• Webster defines journalism as "the occupation of writing for publication in newspapers and other periodicals"
• Fraser F. Bond describes it as something encompassing the ways news and comments reach the public
• School paper advisers of the City Schools of Manila define high school journalism as "that enjoyable co-curricular activity of the school paper staff in collecting, organizing, and presenting news all for the purpose of putting out a school organ"
• Journalism includes written, oral, and visual media
• Written journalism includes periodicals, newspapers, and magazines
• A periodical is a publication released regularly, such as daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or annually
• Newspapers print more news on newsprint without a special cover, magazines print more features and human interest stories with a special cover (often on book paper)
• Radio is oral journalism, while television, movies, and documentaries are visual
• Radio and television are broadcast media, movies and documentaries are film media
• Truth and accuracy are the foundation of journalism
• Claims must be verified with reliable sources
• Corrections and retractions maintain credibility
• Truth builds trust, and trust builds a loyal audience"
• Journalism must be free from undue influence
• Journalists must avoid conflicts of interest
• "Independence guarantees that news serves the people, not those in power"
• Diverse perspectives presented without bias are important in journalism
• Personal opinions should be avoided in reporting
• Bias erodes trust, while fairness fosters understanding Accountability means owning one’s work and correcting mistakes
• Accountability builds trust with the audience
• Extends to questioning sources and motives
• "Being accountable means admitting when you’re wrong"
• Ethical storytelling avoids unnecessary harm and respects privacy, dignity, and safety
• Avoiding graphic imagery in tragedy reporting and sensitivity in covering victims of crime are examples of humanity in journalism
• Great journalism tells the truth without causing unnecessary harm"
• Journalism should prioritize stories that educate, inform, and empower while focusing on corruption, education, and public health
• Sensationalism and trivial topics should be avoided
• "News should inspire action, not just reaction"

Campus Journalism Overview

• A campus paper, mimeographed or printed, is a publication by staff members whose names appear in the masthead or editorial box
• Benefits to the students include provides opportunity for interesting writing, gives the opportunity to learn how to read the newspaper, acts as a stimulus to better work, develops powers of observation and discrimination concerning relative merits of news articles, outlet and motivation for journalistic writing, offers training in organization, business methods, commercial art, bookkeeping, and management & develops qualities of cooperation, tact, accuracy, tolerance, responsibility and leadership
• Benefits to the school & community inform on the work of the school, publishes school news, expresses school opinion, makes known the achievements of the school, unifies the school, develops right standards and conduct, provides an outlet for suggestions for betterment of school, develops interschool relationship & develops cooperation between parents and school
• Evolved functions in modern campus papers include, information, opinion, education, watchdog, laboratory, documentation, entertainment, and developmental functions
• Essential Qualities of a Campus Journalist include curiosity & awareness, integrity & ethics & accuracy & objectivity
• Ethics Every Campus Journalist Should Follow include truthfulness, fairness & objectivity, plagiarism-free writing, responsible journalism & respect for privacy
• Responsibilities of a Student Reporter includes being and informer, watchdog, advocate, storyteller, critic & analyst
• RA 7079, also known as the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, provides for the development and promotion of campus journalism
• RA 7079 consolidated Senate Bill 1103 and House Bill 22658 and was approved on July 5, 1991, during President Corazon C. Aquino's term
• Section 1 Title states the act known as "Campus Journalism Act of 1991"
• Section 2 Declaration of Policy states that it a declared policy of the State to uphold and protect freedom of the press even at the campus level, promote development and growth of campus journalism to strengthen ethical values, encourage ethical & creative thinking, and develop moral character & personal discipline of Filipino youth
• Section 3 provides definition of multiple terms
• School - Institution for learning in elementary, secondary, or tertiary levels with studentry, administration, faculty & personnel
• Student Publication - Printed material issue, independently published by & meets the needs & interests of the studentry
• Student Journalist - Enrolled student who has met the editorial board's qualification standards while maintaining satisfactory academic standing
• Editorial Board - Student journalists qualified in placement exams who, in the case of elementary & high school levels, are subject to a duly appointed faculty adviser, the editor & a Parents-Teachers' Association representative
• Editorial Policies- Guidelines by which student publication must take into account pertinent laws as well as school administration's policies to determine publication frequency and manner of selecting articles
• Section 4 States that a student publication is published by the student body and must maintain fair and competitive examinations
• Section 5 States funding for student publication may include the savings of the respective school's appropriations, student subscriptions, donations & other sources of funds & administrators can't hold funds
• Section 6 States school administration selected publication advisor from list of advisor submitted by publication staff, with advisor limited to only providing technical guidance
• Section 7 States a member must maintain status as a student in order to hold membership, may not be expelled or suspended based on actions in publication
• Section 8 States the Department of Education, Culture and Sports shall sponsor periodic competitions, press conferences, and training seminars involving student publications and teacher advisers with culminated holding the annual national elementary, secondary, and tertiary School conferences in places of historical and/or cultural interest within country
• Section 9 States DepEd coordinate with organizations must effective rules and regulations for implementation
• Section 10 States that per the Constitution, campus journalism’s grants, endowments, donation or contributions are tax-exempt
• Section 11 States initial implementation of Five million pesos authorized to be charged against savings from current appropriations, subsequent amount included in General Appropriations Act
• Section 12 States this act is to take effect 15 days after publication in Official Gazette
• Freedom of the press grants student journalists right to write and publish freely
• Editorial independence provides the right for content decisions for the student editorial board
• Funding allows for student publications to be funded thanks to school fees, advertisements in donations
• Protection From Censorship keeps School administrators from interfering if content is unlawful (libel, obscenity, etc)
• Journalism training should improve programs that help studen journlaism