Mangahas to campus journalists: Be accurate, fair and simple

- Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Executive Director Malou Mangahas shared some tips on how to be an effective and responsible journalist during the recently concluded 2017 National Schools Press Conference in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

In her keynote speech, Mangahas mentioned that journalists must write accurately, and emphasized that “accuracy” means getting your stories right on the level of facts and context.

“Get it right on the level of facts. Iyon yung pangalan, address, edad, spelling, etc. Also, get it right on the level of context. Ibig sabihin, hindi natin sasabihin na may delubyo kung maliit na sunog lamang ang nagaganap,” Mangahas explained.

Mangahas also noted the importance of being fair when writing a story.

“Fairness means best effort to get all sides of the story… There will always be two or more sides to every story,” Mangahas said.

Furthermore, Mangahas discussed another discipline that writers must embody, “I always tell my students in journalism to use ‘simple, not multisyllabic words’ because we are not here to impress but to communicate.”

Mangahas reminded the NSPC 2017 delegates that the role of a journalist is not just to tell the acute, obvious and loud stories, but also, to tell stories about crisis, which may become bigger and more essential for the betterment of the nation.

The NSPC enhances the journalistic competence of students through healthy and friendly competitions.

Moreover, it promotes responsible journalism and fair and ethical use of social media.

In 2018, the Department of Education (DepEd) Negros Island Region (NIR) will host this most coveted campus journalism competition in the country. (PNA)