Espino urges journalism students: Be responsible
LINGAYEN—“Adhere to responsible and development-oriented journalism.”
This was the message of Governor Amado Espino Jr., read by Provincial Information Officer Orpheus Velasco, to about 120 campus journalists from the different campuses of the Pangasinan State University during the socialization night as part of a two-day course on journalism.
The two-day activity included lectures on libel laws and journalism ethics; writing of journalistic pieces that included news, features, editorials and sports news plus digital page lay-out given by veteran journalists in the province.
The governor thanked the student-editors, advisers and consultants for giving priority to PSU students in honing their journalism skills and for publishing relevant information and updates on the development thusts of the provincial government.
“This certainly reflects that media practitioners in our province really had a great foundation in journalism from their college where they cut their teeth in campus journalism as a breeding ground of creative and critical thinking,” he said.
Saying that the workshop’s theme “Celebrating Freedom of Expression through Developmental and Responsible Journalism” is relevant and of primordial importance today in the country, Velasco inspired the budding journalists to focus on developmental journalism from their schools and Pangasinan in general.
He said negative stories like crimes and corruption dominate newspapers’ front page, while positive stories are relegated to the inside pages of newspapers in the country.
In highly-developed countries, Velasco said, positive stories are given better editorial treatment.
PSU President Victoriano C. Estira, on the other hand, told the participants to focus on enhancing their academic inclinations, talents and skills which they could maximize as assets in their future carreers.
Organizers of the activity — the Office of Student Services and Alumni Affairs led by Dr. Merlita Q. Santos, publications advisers and the officials and member student editors of PEG — expressed gratitude for the support of the governor, and for giving cash assistance during the socialization night.
Several student publications of PSU have been perrenial victors in regional, luzonwide and even national press conferences.
During the Regional Higher Education Press Conference held November last year in Laoag City, CAST Chronicle of its main campus (Lingayen) was named third best performing student publication in the region, harvesting 144 points in the overall ranking. Two others, Farm Breeze of San Carlos City (109 pts) and Reflector of Bayambang (103 pts), ranked seventh and eight, respectively.
Moreover, CAST Chronicle clinched the overall best broadsheet award for the third time out of five entries. Farm Breeze’s entry came a close second.
About 30 student-editors from PSU will participate in the forthcoming Luzonwide Higher Education Press Conference in Quezon province in February.
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