05/10/2026
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ฅ | ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ช๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
Not all work is visible and not all responsibilities look the same.
Under Republic Act No. 7079, or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991, student publications are recognized as spaces where students develop their journalistic skills, express their views, and participate meaningfully in matters concerning the campus. They are not extensions of student government or administrative offices. Yet despite the role they play in keeping the campus informed, student publications still find themselves facing the same question: Why should student journalists be exempt from fines?
The concern is not simply about the amount being collected. It is about understanding the nature of publication work and the responsibilities that come with it. So why is being free from fines treated as though it frees student journalists from responsibility?
Being free from fines is not a free pass to be absent from an event. More importantly, publication work does not begin and end with campus events. It is a daily responsibility.
Some of that work happens in the field, while much of it happens behind the scenes through writing, editing, fact-checking, layout, coordination, and other editorial responsibilities. Publication members also travel to different locations to document events and incidents, often using their own money for transportation and other expenses. During the recent fire incident, for instance, publication members went out in the evening to interview those involved, document the situation through photographs, and write about the incident so the campus community could be informed.
These are only some of the responsibilities that extend beyond scheduled campus activities and outside the usual hours of events. The absence of a journalist from one event does not mean the absence of work. Much of journalism happens where the public does not see it. Behind every published article, photograph, layout, caption, or update are hours of work, coordination, and often personal resources that keep a publication running.
Being free from fines recognizes the demands of publication work, including the time, effort, and personal expenses that student journalists already shoulder to fulfill their responsibilities. It is not a free pass from accountability, but a recognition that their responsibilities do not always fit within the same framework as those of other organizations.
Campus journalism should not be something to display when it is convenient and silence when it is not. It exists so students can speak, question, and hold institutions accountable, even when those questions are uncomfortable.
Some may argue that not imposing fines on student journalists is unfair. But fairness does not always mean sameness. Different organizations have different responsibilities, and publication work cannot be measured by the same standards. The difference is not a privilege; it is a reflection of the work itself.
Because if the support is real, perhaps the better question is not โWhy should student journalists be exempt from fines?โ but โWhy is their exemption being questioned when the work of student journalists already demands time, effort, and personal sacrifice?โ
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โ๐ป: Ms. Kwak-Kwak
๐จ: Miss Chief
