By Lysander Tiu
To discuss corruption and the declining trust in government institutions, campus journalists across the country attended the University of Santos Tomas (UST) 27th Inkblots Journalism Fellowship last Jan. 13 to 14.
The two-day fellowship, themed “Campus Press and the Fight for Public Accountability,” featured discussions on campus journalism as a platform to hold officials accountable amid corruption.
Karol Ilagan, chair of the Department of Journalism of the University of the Philippines – Diliman, keynoted on journalism as students’ first encounter with governance.
“Campus journalism is never neutral. It’s not just a practice. When you write a story, you perform a service for a group of people, for a community, and for a certain purpose,” she said.
Ilagan furthered how campus journalists are being challenged by their proximity to the people they cover, stressing that they should force ethical clarity from administrators.
Talks on constructing stories to challenge authority, public interest reporting, writing with context and passion, and influence of social media personalities capped off the first day.
Among the speakers were Arlene Burgos, chief content officer of Philippine Daily Inquirer, Rappler veteran Paterno Esmaquel II, and Manila Bulletin entertainment columnist Nestor Cuartero.
Meanwhile, Filipino box-office icon Vice Ganda graced the fellowship during a mock press conference where he was asked about the cost of movie tickets during the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival.
Vice Ganda shared that the expensive price of movie tickets is the effect of Filipinos’ inability to spend due to the weakening value of the Philippine peso.
“Dahil ang kanilang kinikita ay swerte na lamang, kung ito ay sapat sa mga pangangailangan. Mababa ang halaga ng piso, at mababa rin ang sweldo ng mga tao, at maraming tao ang walang hanapbuhay o pinagkakakitaan,” he explained.
The second day highlighted sessions on distinguishing personal opinion from columns, sports journalism as a form of representation, and protecting independence while sustaining collaboration.
Moreover, a workshop on digital investigation, online tools in tracking influence operations, and a discussion on disinformation networks closed the fellowship.
Rappler columnist and editorial consultant John Nery, Inquirer former sports editor Marc Antony Reyes, UST faculty member Felipe Salvosa II, and PressOne multimedia editor Niko Balbedina led the discussions and open forum.
Over 200 campus journalists from 25 campus publications such as the Bedan Herald, the Tolentine Star, the Flame, Sirmata, and the Aquinian Herald, among others, attended the fellowship.
