When you think of campus journalism, what comes into mind first? The contest or its essence?

For the majority, it has unfortunately been the former. Campus journalism, recently, has metamorphosed into a field where students fight tooth and nail for the sole, coveted national ticket. With the 2026 NSPC memorandum continuing its tradition of only having one qualifier per region, along with the drastic change of the school paper contest, this has only further blurred the line between campus and contest journalism.

Back then, campus journalists were able to enjoy ample opportunities to go beyond their respective regions to practice their journalistic abilities. However, the tradition of keeping the ticket to nationals under lock key started in 2023, wherein the Department of Education (DepEd) announced that only the champion would proceed to nationals. Ever since then, the battle to the national stage has turned more vicious and soulless. Now, each press conference season is more centered on winning rather than learning meaningful lessons that would yield more critical thinkers among our youth.

The continuation of this in the 2026 NSPC memorandum has only worsened the situation. Despite calls from multiple regions and trainers, the memorandum stayed firm in the tradition.

In retrospect, this is not just students being unable to compete nationally – but our youth being robbed of opportunities to further their writing career and sharpen their gaze to contemporary issues in our country. The long-term consequence of this growing negligence is that it would breed more apathetic, disinterested and disappointed students and further hamper the true soul of campus journalism. Even worse, it would reduce campus journalism as a vicious, soulless contest that is only meant to be another medal and extracurriculars.

The worst case scenario after all that? The nation would eventually gloss over critical thinking and fact-checking.

The major reason why we should cherish campus journalism is due to its accessibility. It is a platform where critical thinking, free thoughts, and media literacy are championed and celebrated. Closing that door for a vast portion of our youth is counterintuitive to the real goal of NSPC and would discourage the growth of keener minds.

On the other hand, tightening the pool of national qualifiers would heighten the prestige of the contest, competitive spirit and desire to improve among the youth. In turn, it could yield to a higher level of writers, broadcasters, artists, and photojournalists that could almost be comparable to professionals.

Nevertheless, it is once again severely counterproductive to the NSPC’s mission of opening chances for the youth to harness their journalistic potential. The only thing it has to offer is more disappointment and robbed opportunities among our campus journalists. Aside from that, it will also only center campus journalism around winning formats, ‘golden’ techniques, and even foul play instead of writing to bring awareness and foster original thought. Moreover, Republic Act (R.A.) 7079, or the Campus Journalism Act, declared that the development and growth of campus journalism as a means of strengthening ethical values should be promoted.

As such, the best and only way to convey this on a national level is to open up the pool of national qualifiers and shift more focus into providing more academies, training, and learning opportunities for campus journalists. It is only through allowing more growth that more students would be able to think more critically and practice awareness of their country.

Real campus journalism lies in writing to move the masses. It is a field that should not be limited to medals and certificates. Thus, the Department of Education must reassess the path of campus journalism through reviewing the 2026 NSPC memorandum and decide if ‘prestige’ is truly worth the dreams and goals of our youth. After all, the bitter line between campus and contest journalism is growing more ambiguous–our campus journalists should not continue to cross it.

The Frontman