CAMPUS JOURNALISM

OBJECTIVE

• Apply the principles and strategies in writing the various parts (e.g editorial,
news, feature story, etc) of a campus paper
ORIGIN OF CAMPUS JOURNALISM

• On a 4”x6” sheet of paper, Samule Fickle Fox penned the first issue of The
Students gazette on July 11, 1777 at the William Penn Charter School in
Philadelphia, USA. Published continuously until August 1778, when the
British soldiers closed the school, The Gazette is recognized as the first
student publication in the English-speaking world.
• In the Philippines, the university of the Philippines started publishing its
magazine College Folio in October 1910 and printed the works of the first
promising writers in English. In 1912 the graduates of Manila high School
published their English writings in The Coconut. The following year, 1913,
the Philippine Normal School introduced its publication, The TORCH.
• The UP Writers Club which was organized in 1927 had its literary organ, The
Literary Apprentice which became the most prestigious college literary
publication in the country. At about this time UST’s Varsitarian began to see
publication.
DEFINITION OF JOURNALISM

• The word journal comes from the Latin word diurnal which means “daily.” In
ancient Rome, short bulletins of battles, fires and elections compiled by
government officials were posted up in public places. These were called acta
diurnal which meant “daily events.”
FUNCTIONS OF MODERN CAMPUS PAPERS

• INFORMATION FUNCTION
• OPINION FUNCTION
• EDUCATION FUNCTION
• WATCHDOG FUNCTION
• LABORATORY FUNCTION
• DOCUMENTATION FUNCTION
• ENTERTAINMENT FUNCTION
• DEVELOPMENTAL FUNCTION
SECTION OR PART OF A CAMPUS PAPER

A. Front Page
1. Local news – news that takes place within the country.
2. Foreign news – news that takes place outside the country.
3. Dateline news – an out-of-town news story. It is introduced by a dateline
which states the place from which the story was reported, the date, and
the source of the material if not written by the local staff, as Tokyo, Japan,
Jan. 25 (AP)
4. Weather news – usually a boxed forecast of the area, sometimes the
temperature, wind direction, and velocities.
5. Index – a slug line indicating an important inside page story and the page
where it is found.
6. Other things found on the Front Page
a. Nameplate – The engraved or printed name of the newspaper, as The
Manila Times or PNC Torch
b. Ears – The little boxes on either side of the nameplate.
c. Banner – The principal headline bearing the boldest and biggest type. It is
the title of the most important news of the day which is called banner
news. It may or may not run across the page. If it does, it may also be
called a steamer.
d. Running head – A head made up of two or more lines.
e. Headline – The title of any news story. The word headline is used only for
titles of news stories.
f. Deck –A subordinate headline placed immediately below its mother
headline, also known as bank or readout.
g. Lead – The beginning of a news story. It may be a word, a group of words, a
sentence, or even a paragraph.
h. News story – The whole story of an event composed of the lead and the text
which is the elaboration of the lead.
i. Columns – The horizontal division into parts of a newspaper. Many national
newspapers are divided into eight columns while a typical school
paper is divided into five columns of 12 ems each.
j. Column rule – The vertical line that divides the page into columns. Most
pages of newspaper are divided into columns by a space usually
one em wide. This space is called the sunken rule.
k. Fold – The imaginary horizontal line that divides the newspaper equally into
two parts.
l. Byline – The signature of a reporter preceding a news-feature, as By Warren
Cruz.
m. Box – News materials enclosed by line rules.
n. Cut – A metal plate bearing a newspaper’s illustration, also known as cliché.
o. Cutline – The text accompanying photos and other art work, better known
as a caption. If written above the photo just like a slugline, it is
called an overline.
p. Kicker – A tagline placed above but smaller than a headline, also known as
teaser. If it is bigger than the headline, its is called a hammer.
q. Credit line – A line giving the source of story of illustration, as Reprinted
from the ?Manila Times” or Photo by MPI.
B. FRONT PAGE

1. Folio- Consists of the page number, date of publication, and name of the
newspaper, usually written on top of the page. This is also found in the other
pages.
2. Masthead – The editorial box containing the logo, names of the staff members
and position in the staff, subscription rate, the publisher, and other pertinent data
about the newspaper. A logo 9 a shorter word for logotype) is a cut which
contains an identifying word or words, such as the name of the newspaper or of a
section.
3. Editorial proper – A commentary written by any of the editors who comments or
gives the opinion of the staff or of the whole paper on various subjects. It is the
stand of the paper.
4. Editorial column – A personal opinion written by the columnist himself or herself.
Like the editorial proper, it may attack, teach, entertain, or appeal depending
upon its purpose.
5. Editorial cartoon – Usually a caricature emphasizing a simple point. Usually
humorous, it has the function of the editorial. It stands by itself and
is not a complement of the editorial proper.
6. Editorial liner – a short statement or quoted saying placed at the end of an
editorial column or editorial to drive home a message.
7. Letter to the editor – A letter sent in by the reader giving his personal views
on certain aspects.
C. Sports Page
Sports stories are classified as news stories, therefore, what may be found in
the news page may also be found in the sports section. Other things that may
be found in the sports section are the sports commentaries and sports
features.
STATEMENT OF DUTIES

• Editor-in-Chief
Supervises the editorial staff of the paper.
Writes the editorials of the organ.
Edits all articles preparatory to submission of the same to the adviser for final
editing and approval for publication.
Supervises the preparation of the layout of the paper and paging of the same
in cooperation with the Managing Editor.
Causes the accomplishment of all assignments properly and on time.
Acts as liaison officer between the editorial staff and the adviser.
Calls meetings of the staff in consultation with the adviser.
• Associate Editor
Edits the articles in cooperation with the Editor-in-Chief.
Writes editorials of the organ when requested.
Prepares assignments of section editors in consultation with the Editor-in-
Chief.
Cooperates in the preparation of the layout of the paper and paging of the
same with the Editor-in-Chief and Managing editor.
• Managing Editor
Brings articles to the press for typesetting
Checks articles for typographical errors.
Prepares the layout of the paper and paging of the same in consultation with
the Editor-in-Chief.
Proofreads galley proofs before these are finally approved by the adviser for
printing.
• Section Editors
1. News Editor
Assigns reporters to cover events relevant to the school activities.
Writes straight news articles on assignment from the Editor-in-Chief or
through his own initiative in consultation with the latter.
Edits all straight news articles received preparatory to submission of the same
to the Editor-in-Chief.
2. Sports Editor
Gives out assignments to reporters to cover sports events in which the school
is a participant.
Writes sports articles unassigned to reporters.
Edits all straight news articles received preparatory to submission of the same
to the Editor-in-Chief.
3. Photography Editor
Assigns or causes the assignment of the school’s official photographer to take
pictures on school’s activities for the month.
Prepares pictorial articles of the organ in consultation with the managing
Editor and Editor-in-Chief.
Writes the captions of pictures utilized by the paper in cooperation with the
Editor-in-Chief.
Labels or properly identifies all pictures made available for publication. It is
suggested that he writes at the back of every picture the event to which a
particular picture refers.
4. Artist
Helps in the preparation of the layout of pictorial stories.
Prepares editorial cartoons.
Makes illustrations for feature articles.
5. Features Editor
Gives out assignments to feature writers
Receives and edits feature articles preparatory to submission of the same to
the Editor-in-Chief.
Writes a regular feature article or column.
 LAYOUT

• A newspaper must not only have fresh, interesting materials: it has “to sell.”
It must make a good impression through the ‘packaging’ of its content. This
packaging or arrangement of types and photos on a page is called layout (or
make-up). Layout aims to attract the readers and lead them to read the
contents. It also gives the paper a distinct personality. Some regularity of
arrangement makes the different contents easy to find and read.
TYPES OF LAYOUT

1. BALANCED MAKE-UP. This is achieved through symmetry. A page is divided into

two. Everything on the left is balanced by something on the right and vice versa.
It is confidence-inspiring, but too formal.
2. (a) Contrast and balance – Balance is achieved by contrast. For example, pictures
on one side are balanced by headlines on another or black spots by white spots.
(b) Brace
1. Right brace – identified by a heavy concentration of pictures and headlines on
the upper right hand corner.
2. Left brace - identified by a heavy concentration of pictures and headlines on
the upper left hand corner.
3. Circus make-up – Columns are broken up into various lengths.
SOME GUIDELINES IN LAYOUTING

• Avoid tombstoning (placing of two or more heads in the same face type at approximately the
same level in adjacent columns) by having heads or more than one column width or by boxing.
• Know the relative value of each part of the front page. The order of importance follows the S
pattern in this manner.
B A
C D
Build from the top down.
Distribute headlines-Put on the front page only what is important
Have plenty of breathing space – “Whites” as they are commonly called, give the feeling of the
content not being too difficult to read.
Avoid using the same type throughout. The use of more than one type lends variety.
Use photos but nit bad, obscene, small, or firing-squad pictures.
The use of caps and lower case is better than all caps.
• Headlines should not have letters that impinge on one another as in fat heads nor
should there be a lot of white space between letters as in thin heads.
• Avoid too many brinks (secondary heads)
• Use the ‘ears of the paper’ found at the upper-right or left hand corner of the front
page for ads, announcement, etc
• Avoid breaking stories to the tops of columns. The top of every column should have
a headline or a cut.
• Avoid jumping stories if at all possible.
• Avoid separating related stories and pictures.
• Avoid having the top half of a page too heavy. A spread beneath the fold will help
prevent this.
• Avoid placing small head on a rather long story.
PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE LAYOUT

• Harmony
The contents of every page and of every double-page spread should blend into
a harmonious built.
Headlines should complement each other.
Pictures should not distract the eye too much from the type.
No one part of the page should overshadow entirely another part of a page,
although there should be one dominant point of interest.
• Balance
Page should not seem top or bottom heavy.
They should not lean to the left or to the right.
Perfect balance is achieved by having like units balancing each other.
Occult (hidden) balance is obtained usually by having unlike units balancing
each other, that is, a cut may balance a group of headlines, a two-column head
may balance a box and a single-column head.
• Emphasis
Display news according to its importance.
The news value of every story must determine its page in the newspaper, its
position on a page, and the size and style of headline it is to have.
All stories on page one should be more important than other stories, except
those in special sections.
The upper right-hand corner of the first page is usually considered the most
important position, and the upper left is second.
Positions above the fold are more important than below.
Boldface type gives more prominence than light-face type.
• Proportion
The body of a story should occupy at least twice as much space as the
headlines.
Banner headlines should be used only when the news really justifies them.
Pictures must be sized properly so that their shapes will be in keeping with
other shapes on the page. Long, narrow cuts as well as square ones are
undesirable.
The lengths of articles should be considered.
• Movement
Effective make-up should not be stilted or monotonous.
One of the chief criticisms of perfect balance make-up is that there is no
movement. Everything is balanced on an optical fulcrum slightly above the
center of the page.
With occult balance, a desirable rhythm directs the eye from one part of the
page to another-from the most important to the least important.
• Contrast
Both light and dark headlines should be used.
Every head and cut on a page should contrast with adjoining material.
Contrasting adjacent headlines will help to emphasize the importance of each
other.
Boxes and pictures between heads sometimes are good devices.