CAMPUS JOURNALISM. Vice governor Mark Lambino serves as guest of honor and speaker during the Third Campus Journalism Seminar, Write-shop and Press Conference held in Mangaldan town on Saturday (Aug. 24, 2019). Lambino eyes campus journalism as a weapon to combat misinformation. (PNA photo by Ahikam Pasion)
MANGALDAN, Pangasinan -- Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino on Saturday floated the idea of bringing the local campus journalism program in this town to the whole province to combat misinformation, which is prevalent in social media.
“Maybe it’s due time that this be replicated in other local government units (LGUs), not just in the fourth district, but even the other districts of Pangasinan,” Lambino said in an interview Saturday.
“I will talk with the fellow members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and even our local chief executives, if this is something that can be replicated or remodeled in other LGUs, of course, subject to some modifications,” he added.
Lambino served as the guest of honor and speaker in the Third Campus Journalism Seminar, Write-shop and Press Conference organized by Mangaldan Councilor Aldrin Soriano on Saturday.
In adopting Soriano’s program, Lambino expects Pangasinense students to combat fake news -- the very essence of Soriano’s program in Mangaldan.
Lambino, who was a campus journalist during his heyday as a student and a staunch supporter of campus journalism, also cautioned everyone to read the entire article, as ‘misleading’ headlines tend to cause harm.
Misleading headlines, much like fake news, could also harm good governance, according to Lambino, citing articles about the alleged pending ‘release’ of convicted murderer-rapist Antonio Sanchez, which surfaced recently in social media.
“When you write something, stick to what is true, and you deliver it to the best of your abilities. There are different writing styles but only one truth,” he added.
Meanwhile, Soriano, who has been very vocal about encouraging children to engage in campus journalism, said the workshop had produced several winners during the previous division, regional, and national schools press conference competitions.
Sharing the same hopes with Lambino, he expressed his desire for all campus journalists to discern the truth.
“We hope that with the help of the vice governor, other LGUs will have the same program. We hope that this will become a domino effect where we could encourage other municipalities,” Soriano said.
Now on his second term, Soriano himself was a broadcast journalist before he entered politics.
Soriano is upbeat on Mangaldan campus journalists dominating this year’s District Schools Press Conference which will be held next month. (PNA)
