TUPI, SOUTH COTABATO – In an effort to nurture future journalists, members of the official student publication of Mindanao State University-General Santos (MSU-GSC), conducted a workshop and seminar at Kablon National High School tailored for students with no prior experience in journalism, February 8.
The initiative, titled “Inked: Igniting New Knowledge and Elevating Dreams for Responsible Journalism,” is a collaboration between Bagwis and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Kablon that highlights the importance of journalism in the community.
Photo by Ashley Loyloy
“Journalism really helps in our community, especially in fighting fake news and in scrutinizing information that comes our way,” said John Ross T. Sambanan, SK Chairman of Kablon, in his speech.
Sambanan, who is also an alumnus of KNHS, recalled how there was no established publication during his time, which motivated him to introduce the concept of journalism to current students.
According to Bernabe H. Palma Jr., principal of KNHS, one of the primary goals of their administration is to revive journalism in their school after a hiatus caused by the pandemic.
“Students from our school have zero knowledge in journalism. This is the first journalism training conducted here,” Palma stated.
The principal emphasized the workshop's importance, saying, “Napakalaking tulong po nito sa amin. Para makaproduce po kami ng mga potential future journalists,”
In response, Jasmine Joy Panes, Editor-in-Chief of Bagwis, expressed the publication’s commitment to helping establish journalism in the school.
“Campus journalism is more than just writing–it is about crafting truthful stories, drawing relevant cartoons, and capturing moments that matter. Who knows, maybe the next generation of great journalists starts here today?” she said.
During the workshop, students were divided based on corresponding fields and took part in mentorship sessions in breakout rooms, learning directly from resource speakers with expertise in news writing, feature writing, column writing, editorial writing, sports writing, sci-tech writing, photojournalism, videojournalism, broadcasting, and editorial cartooning.
In the afternoon, participants took part in a mock Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) competition, where winners were awarded prizes.
Jerich Gio Josh Gelly, a participant in the editorial writing expressed the significance of the workshop to students like him.
“This workshop is very crucial to us as students because we are not the only ones who can use it. We can use it in the field of journalism, but also we can use it in different disciplines, such as in the future if one of us is to engage in the field of media,” he emphasized.
The journalism workshop stems from the annual batch project led by Bagwis trainees, which is required as part of their journey before they can officially join the publication, according to the organization's Constitution and Bylaws.
This is the third workshop and seminar organized by Bagwis. This year, it is called "Batch Project Panes."
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