CAMPUS JOURNALISTS are said to deliver the purest form of journalism, but six media entities in UST claimed to have experienced different forms of restrictions at the hands of their respective administrators or advisers.
Despite calls to protect campus press freedom following the TomasinoWeb fiasco, members of various student publications told The Flame that administrators either control their content or deny full access to their budget even if the law guarantees their editorial independence.
Under Republic Act no. 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, a student publication’s editorial board “shall freely determine its editorial policies and manage the publication’s funds.”
It also states that the student publication is independently published by and meets the needs and interests of the studentry. The law likewise protects campus journalists from expulsion or suspension solely on the basis of articles he or she has written, or on the basis of the performance of his or her duties in the student publication.
But some Thomasian campus journalists alleged that they did not enjoy the rights they are entitled to under the law.
‘Favorable narrative’
According to an editorial board member of La Stampa, the official publication of the UST Senior High School, the media entity could not exercise editorial autonomy because of the “direct intervention” of the administration. Denchelle Castro, La Stampa’s coverage chief during the previous publication year, said the publication could not freely report issues that may negatively affect the University’s reputation.
“The main challenge preventing independence is the administration’s direct intervention in content production. Instead of allowing student journalists to exercise press freedom, the University dictates which topics are acceptable and how they should be framed,” Castro said.
The former editorial board member claimed that their articles were being edited to align with the institution’s preferred image, forcing writers to satisfy the administration’s expectations rather than report information objectively.
“For example, during the coverage of an earthquake drill, the publication was told to change the article’s angle because stating that the drill was not successfully executed would be ‘bad’ for the University’s reputation. Instead of allowing honest reporting, the administration insisted on a more favorable narrative, disregarding the reality of the event,” she said.
Sought for comment, UST Senior High School principal Assoc. Prof. Mary Erika Bolaños said the publication staffers did not raise their concerns on the earthquake drill to her office.
“[N]one of them approached me or any of the administrators, nor did we speak with them regarding any earthquake drills, including the one on November 13, 2024,” Bolaños told The Flame.
Laurice Escuin, the incumbent editor-in-chief of La Stampa, echoed Castro’s claim, saying the advisers have a “hyperfixation” on blocking stories that could negatively affect the University’s image.
Escuin said the restrictions under her term worsened as most of the publication’s online content now had to be approved beforehand by its two advisers. During the previous publication year, the photos and news flash contents fall within the discretion of the editorial board, she added.
According to Escuin, the publication faces difficulty in publishing time-sensitive content as it takes time before the advisers give their go-signal to post. Without an immediate approval, La Stampa’s stories and online content either remain as drafts or die from going stale, she said.
“It’s a disadvantage for us because every time we try to publish news, controversial news that really has to be published as of the moment for real-time posting, we can’t… Even if the editorial process, writing and all are done swiftly, nothing. All of it will boil down to the advisers.” the editor-in-chief said.
The Campus Journalism Act of 1991 limits the role of tertiary-level campus publication advisers to technical guidance.
Meanwhile, the advisers of student publications from the basic education must exercise “special parental authority” over student staffers who are not of legal age. The adviser, with the Parent-Teacher Association, will also be fully responsible for the contents of the student publication, according to the law.
‘Positive headlines’
Another local student publication claimed to have experienced censorship, citing an alleged directive by its college administrators to take down posts or revise stories so they could have a “positive headline.”
The Flame will not identify the publication as requested by its talking heads who fear a possible retaliation by their administrators.
“At that time, we were on a tight leash. We couldn’t do anything because we did not have independence… We tried to negotiate that our job is truth-telling, not to be positive all the time,” a former editor-in-chief of the publication said.
The erstwhile editor-in-chief added that the publication failed to cover key events in the college because the administrators had denied staffers information for their reports.
“It’s like they’re withholding information from us to the point that they’re telling students not to talk to us,” the student journalist said.
Self-censorship
Some student journalists opted to avoid covering “controversial” events to avoid placing their publication in perilous situations.
A former editorial board member of the College of Science Journal said the publication had strayed from recent developments involving UST that were deemed to be controversial as administrators refused to comment on certain issues they wanted to cover.
“I do believe we have been playing it safe. Based on the past articles, that has been the position of the College of Science [Journal], we are less focused on the controversial aspects of the college,” the former editorial board member said.
According to the former editor, a misstep in reporting about “chaotic” and “messy” issues could put the publication in a precarious position given the “weak” and “insufficient” protections provided by the Campus Journalism Act of 1991.
“Since the administrators had declined to comment on the issue… posting what would [evidently] be a one-sided perspective on that issue would not only be incomplete in its coverage, but would potentially place the publication and administration in a hostile situation,” the erstwhile editor said.
College of Science Dean Prof. Rey Donne Papa, also a former adviser of the publication, clarified to The Flame that the administration never intervened or directed the staffers to avoid reporting controversial issues.
“As a former CSJ (College of Science Journal) staffer and adviser, I am not aware of such a policy. I don’t think there is a written policy on this, unless it was a directive issued by previous editorial boards,” the dean said.
Meanwhile, a former member of the editorial board of UST Junior High School’s The Aquinian said the publication’s issues are checked and approved by the department before they are distributed to the student body, a process that takes two weeks or more.
According to its former editor Reina (not her real name), the publication’s operations faced delays while some of its events were halted because of the lengthy approval process.
While The Aquinian has not experienced censorship, the former editor admitted that the staffers “filter everything” first before seeking their administrator’s approval to avoid complications.
“We are well aware of the risks of posting materials containing controversial topics, so as much as possible, we eliminate those as early as the processing stage,” Reina told The Flame.
In another student publication, a commentary criticizing the inability of the faculty to hold face-to-face classes triggered concerns after the dean had requested its staffers to reveal the identity of its author.
Sources from the publication said the editors are now cautious about mentioning the University’s offices in editorials to avoid courting the attention of administrators.
From campus journos to PR writers?
Escuin expressed her frustration as she claimed that La Stampa is operating like a “public relations team” of the administration.
“With regard to the situation of our publication, [it] really just feels like a PR or like an organization for media that publishes pictures and not news… Because every time they have an event we really have to cover, even if we have relevant news to publish, they tell us to focus on the coverage instead,” she said.
The editor-in-chief said the editors and staffers had contested some of the decisions of their advisers as some of the materials posted online deviated from the publication’s standards.
“We’ve tried to communicate with them (advisers) through chat, but it only prolonged things. It just gives us stress…They really don’t have any idea about journalism… They really don’t have a solid foundation about journalism,” Escuin said.
Earlier this week, La Stampa gained spotlight after the College Editors Guild of the Philippines assailed the publication’s advisers for allegedly stopping the posting of a press freedom-themed art.
The guild said the advisers’ act constituted “a blatant act of censorship” that stripped student journalists of their editorial independence and exposed the “contradictions of institutions that claim to uphold critical thinking while silencing dissenting voices.”
La Stampa confirmed that its advisers had barred the posting of the cartoon, which was created to commemorate National Press Freedom Day.
Escuin claimed the advisers had instructed the staff to replace the cartoon, which depicted a journalist on a puppet string, with something that highlights artificial intelligence and “fake news.”
La Stampa advisers have not responded to The Flame’s requests for comment. One of them promised to grant us an interview last Wednesday, Sept. 3, but has not gotten back to us as of writing.
On Sept. 4, staffers of La Stampa held a dialogue with Bolaños to discuss their concerns.
Alternative platforms
The state of campus press freedom in UST made headlines in February last year after the Office for Students Affairs (OSA) directed online entity TomasinoWeb to take down its controversial 7-Eleven photo.
The image, which showed two College of Information Sciences students entering the 7-Eleven branch inside UST, created an online buzz because of the supposed similarity of their uniform to that of the store’s workers. According to TomasinoWeb officials, they were forced to remove the photo because it allegedly subjected Information Science students to “public ridicule.”
Various groups condemned the “censorship” imposed on TomasinoWeb and called for stronger protection and greater freedom for campus journalists.
The UST administration responded by announcing a plan to hold a dialogue with student organizations to tackle “student-related policies and guidelines,” including those under the Campus Journalism Act of 1991.
In an interview with The Flame last February, then TomasinoWeb editor-
She cited an OSA directive requiring all members of UST-recognized student organizations to submit a medical certificate and a signed and notarized parental consent for every off-campus activity. The requirements were meant to ensure the safety and well-being of students participating in activities outside UST.
According to Jadormio, the lengthy processes of securing medical certificates and notarized consent forms and financial costs prevented some staffers from covering events.
The Flame previously reached out to OSA for a comment but did not receive a response.
According to TomasinoWeb executive editor Liana Clariza Ortega, publication materials related to events organized by the online entity require OSA’s review.
Content materials for the General Assembly and Recruitment 101 also need to be checked by the office.
“As part of the established process for all university-wide organizations, the publication materials we release for such events are subject to approval before the events are held,” Ortega told The Flame.
Although it publishes news and other journalistic content, TomasinoWeb is not considered a publication, but a student organization under the supervision of OSA.
Since the Tomasinoweb controversy, a number of local student publications said they do not exercise full editorial control while others are inactive or have no editorial board or online presence.
Castro said La Stampa’s situation worsened after the 7-Eleven issue, discouraging staff members from pursuing critical stories. She said the administration’s failure to recognize the duty of campus publications have resulted in a culture of self-censorship.
However, some student journalists opted to pursue critical reporting despite the limitations set by their administrators.
A source told The Flame that some Thomasians have created an independent platform called Tipi Loschi to publish “unregulated, responsible and unfiltered” journalism within the senior high school community. The platform was named after the hiking group of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati founded on May 18, 1924. Frassati, an Italian lay Dominican, mountaineer and social activist, is the patron saint of UST Senior High School.
“We function independently from them [La Stampa] as a student-led initiative… This is [actually] an alternative for La Stampa, but we do function on our own,” the source said.
Budget constraints
Aside from the supposed efforts by some administrators to control their content, some publications are allegedly facing financial constraints that prevent them from performing their responsibilities.
According to a publication that requested anonymity, its administration withheld its funds, resulting in its members failing to receive their honorarium during the pandemic.
“Due to this, the publication continues to struggle with acquiring these funds and is also hindered by backlogs brought on by these delays,” members of the publication said in a statement sent to The Flame.
Reina also said The Aquinian had faced complications in its budget requests and reimbursements due to delayed responses from the administrative office.
The Flame reached out multiple times to the administrators of the UST Junior High School but has not received a response.
‘Inadequate,’ ‘outdated’ law
Members of various student publications said they do not feel protected by the Campus Journalism Act because of stringent administrative policies and censorship that limit editorial autonomy.
An official of a local publication criticized the law for being “inadequate” in safeguarding the rights of student journalists.
“While the act aims to uphold the freedom of the press, it remains toothless and outdated…the Campus Journalism Act is nothing more than just two pages of paper,” a head of a local student publication who requested anonymity, said.
La Stampa’s Castro claimed that the law has been ineffective as private educational institutions can impose their own rules on campus media, a gap that makes publications prone to direct intervention, suppression of critical stories and restricted funding.
“The law itself recognizes the rights of student publications to operate without interference, but in practice, administrative control overrides these protections. Since private universities are not public entities, they can impose their own rules on campus media, limiting press freedom,” the former executive editor said.
Meanwhile, the College of Science Journal’s former editor said that the Campus Journalism Act helps protect published content, but has gray areas when it comes to protecting student journalists’ rights.
“We try our best to work within what is expected of us… But there is that level of uncertainty that we try our best not to go further than it’s safe,” the former editor said.
“As for whether it ought to be stronger, I think that is definitely a more ambitious end of the road. Until a clear line on the ground is set, we can’t really have a clear conversation for that.” F – with reports from Ariza Marie Llorca
(Editor’s note: The story has been updated to include the distinction of rules between tertiary and basic education student publications under the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. The paragraph containing information from a TomasinoWeb staffer has also been retracted and replaced with a clarification statement from its executive editor.)
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