by Dominic C. Galit
In line with the 35th Anniversary of the Los Baños Times, the Department of Development Journalism (DDJ), as part of its DDJ Seminar Series, conducted a forum entitled “Danas: Development Journalism in the Community Setting (Lessons from the Sandiwa and Los Baños Times Experience)” at the College of Development Communication Lecture Room 1 (CDC LR1) at 1pm today.
The forum focused on the history of Sandiwa and LB Times as told by Dr. Madeline Suva, former Editor-in-chief of Sandiwa and Dr. Crispin Maslog, founding adviser of LB Times, on a video made by the class of DEVC 136 sections C-3L and CD-1L, respectively.
Esteemed guests on the forum include Dr. Serlie Jamias, Professor and Vice-Chancellor of UPLB Office of the Vice-chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA); Assistant Professor Rosa Pilipinas F. Francisco, former DDJ Chair; former UPLB Professor Antonio Frio; Professor Cleofe S. Torres; and Professor Lily Tallafer, all of which were former LB Times and/or Sandiwa alums.
The program also included a forum in which the audience asked queries about their experiences on writing newspaper articles.
Prof. Frio asked about the past Sandiwa publications and their preservation, given that there was not any copy left of the past Sandiwa newspapers at the main library. Dr. Suva then explained that the newspapers were mistakenly sold to a junk shop.
On recalling the hardest part of the journalistic experience, Prof. Tallafer said that getting the authorities (specifically the police) to give information was a notable one because they believed that once shared to them, the information would not be put to a good use.
Meanwhile, Prof. Torres gave some advice on getting a story. Being alert, investing on connections, and collecting information on social media, are just some of the many ways on getting a good story. Despite this, she emphasized that “no story is worth dying for,” pointing out the dangers that getting an information might lead to.
After the forum, the awarding of certificates for the respective guests took place, followed by the giveaway and raffle draw, and aProf. Ricarda Villar giving the closing remarks.