𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐉𝐒𝐄 ‘𝟐𝟓

Student journalist applicants of The Rock’s annual Junior Staff Examination (JSE) were reminded to strengthen their practice of affirming ethical standards in journalism as a means of putting integrity and authenticity in the line of work.

This is after journalists Korina Sanchez-Roxas and Julius Babao were allegedly paid millions for interviewing Pasig City mayoral candidate Sara Discaya and her husband, a couple tagged in alleged ghost flood control projects in Bulacan.

In a press conference during the examination, former editor-in-chief and speaker Lady Gwyneth Aguinaldo quoted journalism professor Danilo Arao on the extent to which journalists should be able to present their work in public, despite the journalistic content circulating on different social media platforms.

“You don’t stop being a journalist. If you identify yourself as a journalist, you’re a journalist through and through. [That’s why it’s important for us to set a good example to the public], on and off social media,” the speaker said.

She also posited the need to draw the line between content creation and journalism to avoid misinterpretation by the public, leading to possible skepticism about a journalist’s ethical standards, as shown in the case of Sanchez-Roxas and Babao.

Aguinaldo was among the two speakers who held a press conference during the examination, with San Pedro College (SPC) employee Harley Ben Lo delivering the second half of the session by talking about his biography and highlighting the importance of finishing a degree.

Meanwhile, the publication recorded its highest number of applicants for the third straight year, registering a total of 95 applicants across the Writers, Editing and Proofreading, Arts, Layout, Photo, Web and Multimedia, and Broadcasting departments.

Held last Aug. 24 at the SPC Audio-Visual Room (AVR) and Saint Therese (ST) rooms 702-704, the applicants tested their wits and journalistic skills on two parts: the written technical examination, which covered departmental technicalities and current events, and the practical examination, which involved aspiring rockers to materialize their skills into real outputs.

Results of this year’s JSE will be announced on Sept. 1, inaugurating new members of the publication’s editorial board and staff.

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