MAKATI CITY, Philippines (June 2026) — Covering campus events is no longer enough for many student journalists. As censorship, online harassment, and disinformation become more common, campus publications are learning that reporting the news also means defending human rights.
Nearly 300 student journalists from universities across the country completed the Rights in Focus: The Human Rights for Campus Journalism Lecture Series Caravan, a six-month initiative led by the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC) in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Philippines.
The program, which ran from December 2025 to June 2026, aimed to help campus writers, editors, and photojournalists recognize the human rights implications behind everyday stories while equipping them with practical skills to stay safe in the field.
Beyond writing stories
The lecture series grew from findings gathered during earlier phases of Project Human Rights Lens. Organizers found that while many student journalists wanted to report on social issues, they often struggled to identify the human rights dimensions of their coverage or apply rights-based reporting principles.
Rather than relying on lectures alone, the organizers brought the discussions directly to universities, combining legal education with newsroom skills that students could immediately apply.
Learning how to stay safe
The caravan opened at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where AHRC Program Director Atty. Maria Paula Villarin discussed threats faced by journalists, including red-tagging and legal intimidation. She explained the constitutional protections available to members of the press and examined real cases involving media practitioners.
Rowena Paraan of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism followed with workshops on digital security, helping participants strengthen their online safety practices and newsroom risk management.
Looking at everyday issues differently
At Far Eastern University Manila, AHRC Executive Director Atty. Nicolene Arcaina encouraged participants to approach ordinary community stories through a human rights perspective.
Veteran journalist Carlos Conde expanded on that idea by showing how beats such as education, labor, and LGBTQ+ issues can be covered through a rights-based framework that highlights the experiences of affected communities.
Preparing for today’s legal challenges
The third stop at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde focused on the legal realities facing campus publications.
AHRC Program Director Atty. Paula Sophia Estrella discussed the limitations of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 and explained how the proposed Campus Press Freedom Bill seeks to strengthen protections for student publications.
Former Philippine Collegian Editor in Chief Daniel Daiz also shared practical lessons on sustaining independent campus publications through sound financial management and newsroom leadership.
Connecting local stories to global events
The final leg of the caravan took place on June 4 at the Ateneo Professional Schools in Makati City.
Prof. Wayne Winter Uyseco of the FEU Department of International Studies examined how global conflicts and international developments shape domestic politics and local communities.
ABS-CBN News journalist Zen Hernandez discussed conflict reporting and encouraged participants to find the local human impact behind international headlines.
During the afternoon sessions, Flordeliz Abanto of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas emphasized the media’s responsibility to serve as society’s watchdog, while former Rappler senior investigative reporter Lian Buan shared investigative techniques for exposing corruption and abuse of power.
Building stronger campus newsrooms
The lecture series built on the Human Rights Lens Summit held on Dec. 6, 2025, where award-winning journalist Jamela Alindogan delivered the keynote address. Broadcast journalists Raphael Bosano and Atty. Mike Navallo moderated panel discussions attended by representatives from campus publications nationwide.
To ensure the lessons continue beyond the workshops, organizers also produced Information, Education, and Communication materials that student publications can use as long-term newsroom references.
As campus publications continue to face shrinking budgets, administrative pressure, and online attacks, organizers hope the next generation of journalists will continue holding institutions accountable.
As Arcaina told participants, “In the face of red-tagging, censorship, and resource cuts for student publications, we speak and demand; in the face of impunity, we hold powers-that-be accountable; in the face of our own Government running away and tripping over its own greed and violence, we confront.”
