BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Resuming its participation after a six-year absence, The Industrial Wheel, the official student publication of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) – Main Campus, returned to the annual Organization of Student Services in Information and Education, Inc. (OSSEI) National Conference on Campus Journalism held at the Baguio Legacy Crown Hotel, happening from September 25–27.
Said national gathering aims to train student-journalists from across the country in newsroom skills, journalistic ethics, and campus press leadership through the insights of veteran journalists and media practitioners.
Meanwhile, The Industrial Wheel Editor-in-Chief Alrey John Lacaba revealed that the process of joining this year’s OSSEI workshop was not easy due to multiple delays.
“Joining this year’s OSSEI workshop isn’t easy. We had to process our papers for more than a week, and it felt like a major clutch because several factors delayed us, like our recruitment, the Charter Week Celebration, and other pressing commitments. What really helped was close collaboration with the Editorial Board, especially with our Circulation Manager, Jonas Mansal, since I also had to balance my classes,” Lacaba said.
The EIC also shared that the return to OSSEI under his leadership brought a mix of emotions, both excitement and pressure.
“I feel both excited and pressured. Excited because this is my first time attending a national journalism workshop and competition, and it’s under my term as Editor-in-Chief pa. Pressured because this marks the publication’s first appearance in OSSIE since 2019, back when IW delegates even brought home awards. Still, I’m truly happy that despite the challenges we faced during the process, arriving in Baguio City made all the sacrifices worth it,” Lacaba added.
The delegation, on behalf of its technical adviser, Mr. Rex Palompon, who was unable to attend due to prior commitments, was chaperoned by Ms. Christianne Faith Mahinay, the publication’s former Associate Editor who was notably a champion in news writing during the publication’s last OSSEI participation in 2019 and is now a faculty member of the university.
Mahinay expressed her optimism for the new generation of IW journalists as they begin their OSSEI journey.
“I am excited to see how the next generation of campus journalists will become storytellers of today. I hope their stories will not just remain stories but will have a societal impact. I am excited for them to share their voices with the campus and the community,” Mahinay said.
She also emphasized that campus journalism is not only about honing skills but also about its role in truth-telling.
“Campus journalism is not just an outlet to unleash journalistic skills and creativity but also a platform to fight fake news and address disinformation. It is also a place where one is encouraged to bring impactful stories, not to remain silenced, but to become advocates of truth,” she added.
On the first day, the delegates attended intensive lectures on ‘Artificial Intelligence and Mass Media: Reshaping the Future of News Communication’ led by an award-winning Filipino journalist Voltaire Tupaz, and a session on the relevance and empowerment of campus publications delivered by Prof. Liana Barro, adviser of FEU Advocate.
The second day of the conference is set to cover sessions on multimedia journalism, the role of the campus press in political reporting, as well as on editorial cartooning, and page design and layout.
Article by James Magayon