Besides dealing with the difficulties in the shift to online presswork, UP student journalists lamented how perennial issues, such as underfunding and the lack of office spaces, remain unaddressed by the university, UP student publications reported during an online convention of the UP Solidaridad last February 18 to 19.
Although UP is mandated to support its campus publications, student journalists from UP Solidaridad, the systemwide alliance of student publications and writers’ organizations, pointed out how “inefficient” bureaucratic processes have often blocked them from receiving the funding for their operations.
Tinig ng Plaridel (TNP), for instance, has to depend on their meager P3,000 budget since the UP College of Mass Communication administration has yet to recognize TNP as the college’s official student publication. Their funds mostly came from the prizes they won from contests or donations from their alumni.
While TNP has already accomplished the processes for accreditation, college officials told TNP to wait until the appointment of their next dean. However, the sole nominee for CMC deanship, Fernando Paragas, said in a public forum that TNP has to “pitch first” on why they deserve such recognition.
TNP is not the only student publication that has insufficient funding. The UP Mindanao admin, for instance, told Himati that they saw “no need” to accept the publication’s request for their budget since the publication has no printed issues. Himati, however, continues to publish online, and are still incurring expenses for their presswork, contrary to the admin’s claims.
Section 21 of the UP Charter states that UP must not bar publications from obtaining their budget as “freedom of expression and autonomy in all matters of editorial and fiscal policy” must be guaranteed.
Despite the lack of funds, student publications continue to reach more readers by posting their content on social media. However, transitioning to digital platforms also made publications more vulnerable to red-tagging and other forms of online harassment, student journalists said.
UP Vista, the official student publication of UP Visayas Tacloban College, reported that suspicious accounts red-tagged them in their Facebook page last February 2020 after covering a protest action condemning the arrest of journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and four activists. A year later, editors and writers from UP Solidaridad received death threats sent by a suspected pro-administration account.
Following these incidents, the alliance adopted a resolution to craft the UP campus press demands. A committee will be tasked to create a report and consolidate the needs of the publications across UP. That report will serve as the basis of the demands which will be presented to the UP Board of Regents.
Besides amplifying the demands of the student publications, SINAG (College of Social Sciences and Philosophy), Kalasag (College of Arts and Letters), and TNP also proposed the creation of a student publication aid, which can help underfunded publications to address their logistical concerns in presswork. The alliance also agreed to create detailed protocols in handling cases of red-tagging and harassment against its members.
“There is an urgent need for a [systemwide] effort to protect student publications' funding, security, equipment, and spaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened attacks in the run-up to the 2022 national and local elections,” the resolution read.
A Committee for Press Freedom will likewise be formed to serve as the alliance’s task force to safeguard the rights of student journalists. The body will provide training on topics such as digital security and journalism ethics.
The 2022 UP Solidaridad Congress marked the first time student publications convened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This two-day summit paved the way for UP student journalists to strengthen their alliances, assert their needs to the administration, and intensify their long-standing campaign to defend the campus press from state-sponsored attacks. ●
Read the resolutions here.
