SUDDENLY, all the cheers fell silent to my ears.
There’s this particular memory that will sit at the back of my mind for as long as I live. The applause, the sudden skip of my heartbeat, and the deafening silence that wrapped around me for a solid second—a memory that I will surely treasure, yet something that I will surely outgrow, too.
Writing this piece takes me back to Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, and it’s the 20th of July in the year 2023 today.
I am sitting somewhere in the sea of student journalists, school paper advisers and coaches, as well as proud parents, at around 10:30 in the morning. The cheers were loud, yet the anticipation crept louder through my senses despite telling myself that I don’t have to prove anything anymore in this journey. Today’s the awarding ceremony for the National Schools Press Conference 2023, and I’d be lying if I said that I don’t feel anxious at all.
Looking back, it felt like a fairytale—where a copyeditor takes on the princess’ role instead.
“Region Five!” said the lady in front, announcing my name and university after. The way my heart dropped echoed more than the cheers that I got after bagging first place under the category of Copyreading and Headline Writing.
It was surreal, yet I had done it. I had won in the NSPC. And as a student journalist, it certainly is the dream, and I just turned that into a reality.
However, upon entering college, a realization dawned on me that we may have put winning in contest journalism on a pedestal. That while it may be the dream, reality calls for us to do more than win medals and receive recognition.
Being a good student journalist will and should never be determined by the awards you get after winning in competitions; sure, it mirrors the hard work and efforts in your craft. However, journalism isn’t simply a place for the accolades. The glory must not only be felt upon the stage but also along the streets where your voice is gravely needed.
It does become understandable in elementary and high school, though. I recall pouring a significant amount of time into journalism, especially in training and seminars, in order to get ready for the presscons. There’s nothing wrong with that; besides, we generally just don’t have any other commitments that will take up our time from academics and co-curricular activities at that stage in life. It is also a great experience for building our knowledge in journalism in general, not only on the technicalities that surround our events, and getting to connect with and learn from fellow student journalists. I understand that it holds great importance to every journalist, and every moment from presscons is really something to treasure.
However, as we grow older and become more exposed to society, must our role and commitment in journalism solely be determined by these competitions?
This is not a direct attack but rather a call for my fellow student journalists to show up in commemorations and mobilizations, as well as in expressing solidarity with the causes that journalism stands for—in upholding those who were let down by the system and fighting for the truth that continues to be suppressed. Confining ourselves in our own happy bubble won’t get us anywhere as journalists. Pop it and look at what is happening in society right now: corruption remains deeply etched in our government, effective education and healthcare systems remain inaccessible to the poor, threats swarm the freedom of the press and the progressive, and ordinary Filipinos struggle to make ends meet.
Given that reality, will you still choose to indulge in dreamland? I am not asking you to give up on these competitions; if it makes you feel good, then so be it. What I am urging you to do is to pour the same amount of enthusiasm into the way you train and compete for contest journalism in fighting for truth and the masses.
As journalists, let us take pride in the shouts of the people that we wholeheartedly amplify, and not in the cheers that glorify trophies and medals and muffle the truth and voices that we had sworn to tell.
Published in the June 2024–May 2025 print release.
