Are universities warranted to dissolve campus journalism?
Collaged photos grabbed from student publications' Facebook pages
INTRAMUROS, Philippines — In Philippines' post-Marcos history, there had been several cases where a university successfully removed an active school newspaper. (Campus Press Freedom: Fighting the Fight That’s Worth Fighting For)
But can they easily do so?
What does the law say?
Republic Act 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 encourages all educational institutions to establish a student publication, upholding press freedom and promoting responsible journalism to the youth.
Particularly in the tertiary level, editorial board examinations are conducted annually by school newspapers in order to hire new members. The existing publication staff does not need to re-take the examination.
Campus journalists do not need licenses to operate, and thus passing the exam is their proof of membership that lasts until they graduate from the institution.
According to RA 7079, "A student shall not be expelled or suspended 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.
Who funds them?
There are four possible sources of revenue where the student publication can get its funding.
Subsidy appropriated from the school's budget
Subscriptions of students, possibly in the form of publication fees collected during enrolment period
Donations and grants
Advertisements
The school administration should not impede the release of the student publication's funds.
In fact, the fund of the student publication, which is exclusively theirs, shall not be spent for other purposes. The violator will face administrative or criminal action.
For universities that offer the K12 program, the established Senior High School publication still falls under the secondary level student publication. Thus, it is a separate entity from the institution's official student publication.
Vague and vulnerable
But due to the vagueness of this law, it has loopholes that can be taken advantage of by the school administration.
For example, the sources of funds are optional. It can be revoked by removing the publication fees collected during enrolment. This would prevent the publication from printing if their only source of fund is students' subscriptions.
The law does not make it mandatory for universities to support the publications financially, though the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 7079 state that "…publication fees, revenues realized from donations and grants, and advertisements shall be the sources of funding for student publications."
Another flaw to be considered is the scheduling of the Editorial Board Examination, wherein its delay can result to an unofficial roster composed of its remaining members.
If paired with the university's own policy in recognizing official organizations, this may impede the publication's operations. However, student publications remain as an independent entity that may not be affected by certain school policies depending on its constitution.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) admonished higher education institutions to support student publications.
As stated in Memorandum Order no. 9 series of 2013: "The HEI shall support the establishment and implementation of student publication as provided for in RA 7079, otherwise known as 'Campus Journalism Act of 1991' and other media forms preferably within the framework of self-management."