Towards sensible journalism

The Rogationist Academy hosted the 2nd Inter-School Campus Journalists’ Conference themed, “21st Century Campus Journalists and Mentors: Becoming the Voices of Goodness and Advocates of Sensible Journalism”, last December 4-5, 2015 at Mergrande Ocean Resort, Davao City.

The two-day event was participated by different schools namely: Holy Cross Academy of Digos, St. Paul College of Davao, Holy Cross of Matanao, Maryknoll School of Lupon, Holy Cross of Mintal, and Rogationist Academy Davao. Delegates improved their journalistic skills as they were introduced to various workshops handled by speakers like Kevin Viray, Derf Hanzel Maiz, Marianne Saberon-Abalayan, Danjo Revilla, Jojie Alcantara, John Frances Fuentes, Fr. Jeomar Sibug, Perry Paul Lamanilao, Kenneth Arphel Balboa, Monique Musni-Tagaytay and Cheryl Vilog, PhD.

The PWC school publication moderator Don Michael Villarma commented, “What they can’t learn at school, they can learn it here at the conference.” Villarma added that they are not just there (conference) to learn, but to exactly know what they can still write about on issues that affect them.

Topics revolved on Editorial Cartooning, News Writing, Sports News Writing, Radio Broadcasting and Scriptwriting, Photojournalism, Feature Writing, Copy Reading and Headline Writing, Lay-out using Adobe InDesign, Literary Writing.

Davao Archdiocesan Commission on Social Communications Director Fr. Ritsche Gamaya encouraged the young journalists to become “Heralds of the Good News” as he introduced to them the Church’s teaching, Inter Mirifica. The said event was concluded with an Awarding Ceremony and a Holy Mass.

According to former ABS-CBN Reporter Danjo Revilla, sensible journalism should start in school where values and ethics will first be established. “The news should always be addressed to your readers or audience—on how it would affect them. Once you delivered the news, there should be no exaggerations so that the quality of it will remain”, Revilla said.

Asked on what the conference taught her, Rogationist Academy Davao participant Lexis Joyce Palo commented, “Madami akong natutunan. They taught us how to write news articles na talagang may impact sa readers. I appreciated the workshop talaga.”