Campus journalism showdown ignites on second day of RTSPC-8
by Mitche Ann Cantilang & Fernando Manuel Cultura
Visayas State University (VSU) Baybay, City Leyte- The second day of the Regional Tertiary Schools Press Conference (RTSPC) Eastern Visayas ignited with electric vibe as plenary talks, workshops and the highly anticipated campus journalism showdown took center stage, Thursday April 4.
Starting the day right, the plenary talks speakers delved into the theme “New Horizons of Campus Journalism”. Renowned journalists and media practitioners shared their insights, inspiring the next generation of communicators to uphold integrity and professionalism in their craft.
First in line was radio broadcast journalist and academician, Ricky Rosales, who tackled “The Future of Radio Broadcasting in a Changing Media Landscape” highlighting the history of radio broadcast in the Philippines and insights on the evolving changes of radio broadcast in the age of technological innovations.
Captivating the realm where filmmaking meets journalism; leading the discussion are two industry trailblazers: Gianfranco Morciano, a visionary Film Director from 4Blues Production, and a dynamic force in media marketing along with publishing consultant, Chief Marketing Officer at Paytaca, Inc./AJPA Media/4Blue Productions, Aaron JP Almadro.
Completing the first set of plenary talks for Day 2 was Co-founder of Pitik Bulag, Zachary Borromeo, aka Cartoonist ZACH, who shared his works in articulating the topic”Art as a Form of Resistance in the Time of Disinformation”.
During the opening of his talk, Cartoonist ZACH highlighted how disinformation efforts work during the pandemic.”Disinformation, misinformation it spreads like a virus. We saw this during the pandemic… Like the virus itself, naging deadly din yung disinformation,” he said.
Meanwhile, parallel workshops took center stage in the afternoon, which offers hands-on learning experiences from news writing, copyreading and headline writing, photojournalism, feature writing and desktop publishing. Campus journalists had the opportunity to sharpen their craft under the guidance of experienced mentors.
Parallel workshop speakers were Regional Correspondent of Philippine Daily Inquirer and SunStar Philippines, Ronald Reyes on news writing, Gianfranco Morciano, a Director, Producer, and Co-Founder of 4Blues Productions Inc., on photojournalism.
Further, Isabelle Mae Amora, an instructor of Visayas State University (VSU), shared her expertise in Copyreading and Headline Writing, FEU Communication Faculty, Anansa Dijan led the discussion as a guest speaker for Feature Writing, and Publishing Consultant of AJPA Media, Aaron JP Almadro on graphics designing and lay-outing.
In an interview, Jayrald Mejia, publication staff of An Lantawan (Leyte Normal University) remarked on the first-two days RTSPC event.”I also learned of the new ways to convey relevant information to the public by means of reporting the news in a way that is understandable and the public can relate to it.” Mejia said.
The pinnacle of the day was the campus journalism showdown, where participants from the different students publications showcased their talent and creativity in a series of intense individual writing competitions which includes, news writing, copyreading and headline writing and desktop publishing.
Additionally, the public screening and judging of locally-produced video projects of campus publication took the participants in an array of emotions.
As the RTSPC-8 continues to unfold, participants are filled with anticipation for what the remaining days have in store. With each session and competition, they grow not only as journalists but as advocates for truth and social change in their communities. Stay tuned for more updates as the Regional Tertiary Schools Press Conference continues to inspire and empower the youth of Eastern Visayas.