UST student media organizations and publications expressed support for La Stampa, the official student publication of UST Senior High School (SHS), following the censorship of its cartoon illustration for National Press Freedom Day.
In a joint statement, the groups said the act against the publication was “not only a deliberate attack on press freedom but a direct assault” on the rights of student journalists to inform and express.
The joint statement was signed by La Stampa, TomasinoWeb, Thomasian Engineer, UST Nursing Journal, UST Science Journal, and the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Scrubs, along with College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP).
“We, the student publications of the University of Santo Tomas, are uniting under one banner to condemn acts of adviser intervention and administrative censorship that silence the voices of the campus press,” said the joint statement released on Sept. 6.
The statement rejected the “culture of silence” in UST and described the act of rejecting the cartoon for press freedom day as a “shameless contradiction” of the values that the University claims to stand for.
“To censor a statement on the very day that commemorates the struggles and sacrifices of journalists is a grave insult to the press and is authoritarian control,” it said.
The groups joined La Stampa in calling for publication autonomy, review of the advisership system, approval of the revisions in the constitution and by-laws of the publication, release of a budget report, and funding for competition activities.
The UST Journalism Society, in a separate statement, said the act against the publication material contradicts the principles of free speech and freedom of the press.
“Like the professional press, campus publications exist to report truthfully, critically, and responsibly, not to serve as tools of institutional image management,” it said.
“Any interference by administrators or advisers threatens not just the upholding of freedom of the press, but the democratic values of transparency, accountability, and freedom of expression within our University,” it added.
The society also called on higher educational institutions to uphold the rights of student journalists.
The UST Engineering Student Council also called on Thomasians to stand with La Stampa and counter acts of repression against campus journalism.
“Censorship has no place in an institution that prides itself on truth and reason. Protecting a free press is essential to nurturing an informed and engaged Thomasian community,” it wrote in a statement.
On Sept. 2, CEGP released a statement calling out the rejection of the publication material, which they described as a “blatant act of censorship.”
The editors of La Stampa and the SHS officials met virtually on Sept. 4 to discuss the concerns of the publication.
According to La Stampa, SHS Principal Erika Bolaños agreed to discuss changes to the publication’s constitution and by-laws, including the approval of new committees and offices.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Bolaños said both parties showed commitment to continuous dialogue to “arrive at constructive ways forward.” Alexandra S. Demaisip
