IN LINE with the State’s policy to uphold and protect the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression, Congress enacted on July 5, 1991 Republic Act 7079, or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 (CJA). The CJA seeks to promote the development and growth of campus journalism as a means of strengthening ethical values, encouraging critical and creative thinking, and developing moral character and personal discipline at the campus level. The salient points of the CJA are:
- The student body, through an editorial board and a publication staff, publishes a student publication. The staff is composed of students selected through fair and competitive examination. The editorial board is free to determine editorial policies and manage the publication’s funds.
- Funding may include a school’s appropriations, student subscription, donations, and other sources of funds.
- Funds intended for the publication cannot be withheld. Subscription fees collected by the school shall be released automatically to the student publication.
- A student shall not be expelled or suspended solely on the basis of articles he or she has written or on the basis of the performance of his or her duties in the publication. (The Supreme Court, in a case, ruled that the articles written must not materially disrupt class work or involve substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.)
The publication adviser, whose position is optional, shall be selected by the school’s administration from the list of recommendees submitted by the publication staff. Angelo C. de Alban
