Two CJs

By Marifi Jara

I asked if there was anyone in the small audience who is — honestly and seriously — considering journalism as a career in the future.

One hand went up. That of a young lady named Giselle.

I was saddened by the response. But not at all surprised.

As I was preparing my talk and presentation for the staff and aspiring staffers of Ulnos, the official student publication of Lyceum-Northwestern University in Dagupan, I pretty much knew that I would be getting that response.

My first clue came from meeting Anna de Vera, Ulnos editor-in-chief, and Chesca Mediana, one of the long-time staffers.

Both lovely, eager and polite young ladies, Anna is a nursing student while Chesca is a management graduate who is now taking up tourism as a second degree.

In fact, none of their staffers are communication majors of LNU, according to them.

My second clue came from the theme of   their activity, a mini school press conference competition of sorts for recruiting new members, which was “Developing students’ communication skills through campus journalism”.

And so I designed my talk along the lines of writing as a basic life skill and how clear and concise prose, a fundamental principle in journalistic writing, is something that they need and can use in whatever profession they want to pursue.

Those present last Wednesday morning were mostly majors in accounting, medical technology and tourism. But they all acknowledge a love, somehow a passion, for writing, which is why they are a part or hoping to be a part of LNU’s student paper.

That made me very glad.

It is always delightful to meet members of the younger generation who are still enthusiastic about writing because I concede to the reality that they are the MTV/text generation, an age band that is very visual, adroit in text-speak and easily bored with reading traditional printed material.

I concluded my presentation with a brief stress on how campus journalism is closely linked with community journalism, which is what we do here at The PUNCH.

Campus papers actually do not, must not, merely serve the community within its school boundaries but extend to the students’ homes, which is essentially the same audience that we cater to.

LNU’s Ulnos complement our work in the sense that   they deliver information and entertainment that we, perhaps, are unable to feature or convey from a different point of view.  Overall, journalism, whether in campus or professional community newspapering, is an indispensable component for any society that aspires to be free-thinking and self-governing.

On a lighter note, campus papers give us an inkling of what’s bubbling within our   young’s minds. It is always a learning experience to read what they are thinking.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/roots/
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