INKBLOTS : The Thomasian Journalism Fellowship

FAITHFUL to the tradition of promoting campus journalism, the Varsitarian once again gathered prominent media personalities and aspiring campus writers from all over the country in Inkblots 2005, the seventh UST National Campus Journalism Fellowship.
Over 200 eager writers from different universities and colleges as far as Tuguegarao in the North and General Santos City in the South braved miles to learn from the masters themselves and from each other.
Seasoned lecturers Shiela Coronel of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Philippine Star cartoonist Rene Aranda, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) columnist Rina Jimenez-David, reporter Christian Esguerra, and lifestyle writer Ruel de Vera made a comeback, but with new surprises in store for the participants.
Sports columnist and commentator Joaquin “Quinito” Henson tagged along basketball superstars Jondan Salvador and Richard Yee, and coach Ryan Gregorio of Purefoods Chunkee Giants for a mock press con with the campus press. Meanwhile, Tempo’s entertainment editor Nestor Cuartero brought along Hale lead vocalist, Champ, who was interviewed by the participants during the feature interview session.
Among the highlights of the event was the lecture on campus paper management, where Esguerra, recently named Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption’s Reporter of the Year, said campus papers should be treated seriously as any mainstream publication because they follow the same basic functions of informing, educating, shaping opinions, entertaining, and moving people to action, even if it is only within a campus.
Esguerra, a former Varsitarian editor in chief, said a publication should be consistent, standardized, and its contents must subscribe to the “canons of good taste.” The gravity of its advocacies is also important, he said.
“Our job as a school paper is to drag students from the comforts of their computer holes and to teach and educate them on the issues happening in our society,” said.
The question of a publication’s organizational structure, its independence from school administration, and the proper interpretation of Republic Act No. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 were also tackled.
Meanwhile, radio and TV broadcaster Arnold Clavio said he sees new hope for the Philippine media because of the idealism of young campus journalists in the face of media corruption and abuse in the country. He said there are still a few good journalists who remain active, ethical, and honest.
“Filipinos today are like journalists too,” he said. “Some are very observant and sometimes very nosy. But once tapped, they become good sources of information.”
Meanwhile, Luige del Puerto, another PDI reporter, refreshed the participants’ basic news writing skills. He stressed the importance of researching extensively about an assignment as early as possible to avoid inaccuracies.
On the other hand, former Varsitarian Filipino editor and Don Carlos Palanca Award recipient Michael Coroza stressed the importance of Filipino as a language and as a medium for reportage. With the dwindling support for Filipino, Coroza encouraged young journalists to write in their native language and keep the practice alive, considering correct syntax and wary of grammatical mistakes, especially those in verb formations.
The timely issue about the hazards of journalism in the country was discussed by former Philippine Press Institute executive director Alice Colet-Villadolid, Newsbreak managing editor Glenda Gloria, and GMA-7 reporter Jiggy Manicad. Sharing their own experiences in the Media, the panelists showed that journalism has its own perils. But once armed with proper knowledge of the Journalism Code of Ethics, nothing is too dangerous her.
Keynote speaker Charie Villa, news gathering head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs and former Reuter correspondent, emphasized the importance of the Code of Ethics and pointed out some numerous violations like sensationalism, which are prevalent in the Philippine media. “Credibility is everything,” she said, so journalists should learn to be responsible and “be instruments for change” in the society.
The fifth National Campus Investigative Journalism Award (NCIJA) which was founded by a retired Washington-based legal editor and former Varsitarian editor in chief Julio S. Macaranas, Jr., was suspended this year to give campus writers more time to produce and submit their entries. The awards night will be on the next year’s Inkblots instead.
Workshops like Inkblots allow experts to teach beginners and for veterans to bond with novices in a fun and educating experience. Training youngbloods in the art of campus writing prepares them for the challenges and responsibilities they are sure to face in the real world.

National Campus Investigative Journal Awards (NCIJA)

IN CELEBRATION of the campus press in the country, the Varsitarian, the 77-year-old student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, will be sponsoring the 2005 National Campus Investigative Journalism Award. The award was established by Julio S. Macaranas, Jr., a retired Washington-based legal editor and former editor in chief of the Varsitarian, in honor of his late mother, Mercedes S. Macaranas, who encouraged him to write.
The Award will be the highlight of INKBLOTS 2006: The Eighth National Journalism Fellowship on October 2006.

Eligibility and submission of entry/ies:
1. All student publications in the college/university level nationwide are eligible to join.
2. The entry may be authored by a writer or a team (whole publication).
3. The investigative report should have been published between August 2004 and February 2006.
4. It should be endorsed by the publication adviser/s or by a Journalism or Communications professor.

Entries should be submitted on or before February 25, 2006 up to 10 p.m. at the Varsitarian office, Rm. 112, UST Main Bldg, España, Manila. If by mail, entries should be stamped with the date not later than February 25, 2006.

Mechanics:
1. The article may be written in English or Filipino.
2. The investigative report should have citations, attributions, and bibliographic information written on a separate sheet. It is important that findings and conclusions should have testimonial and documentary support and thus should not be based on the personal opinions or assessments of the author/s or uncorroborated statements made in the course of interviews of individuals who cannot or do not wish to be identified.
3. Five copies of the publication, where the article was published, should be submitted in a long brown envelope. Each long envelope should contain one (1) accomplished entry form, history of the publication, profiles or curriculum vitae of the author/s, bibliography/ies, short backgrounder on the nature of the case or exposé, and duplicate copies of supporting documents and interview transcriptions.
4. Entries and all submitted documents will not be returned.
5. The board of judges, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to withhold or modify any and all of the component prizes of the award if, in its judgment, no entry fully meets or satisfies all of the criteria for the award.

Awards:
1. The author/s of the winning investigative reports will receive P30,000 in cash, and a specially designed medal, and certificates.
2. The student publication or the school organ, where the winning investigative report was published, will receive a plaque and P20,000 in cash.

Criteria:
1. well-reasoned analysis and constructive exposé - 30%
2. well-supported findings and conclusions - 30%
3. effective, responsible, and ethical methodology - 15%
4. form and organization - 15%
5. advancement of student causes and concerns - 10%

Total - 100%