From left: ABS-CBN news reporters Jaworski Alipon and Annie Fe Perez, “Bayan Mo, I-Patrol” head Rowena Paraan, Cebu Association of Communication Educators president Nestor Ramirez, MassComm Coordinates president Jevan Parilla and Cebu Alliance of Mass Communication Students president Mark Roland Romas (PHOTO FROM CEBU ALLIANCE OF MASS COMMUNICATION STUDENTS).
Citizen journalism and its role in a communication student’s career were highlighted by ABS-CBN’s “Bayan Mo, I-Patrol mo” (BMPM) head Rowena Paraan during her talk on August 17.
Paraan flew in from Manila to speak in a forum dubbed as “Campus Talk” at the University of San Jose–Recoletos (USJ-R) Law audiovisual room.
The forum was one of the activities for TV Patrol Central Visayas’ 28th anniversary. The Cebu Alliance of Mass Communication Students (Cams) and a few professors attended the talk.
Paraan said that citizen journalism is a movement that encourages the people to get involved with their community and is a good method for local issues to be noticed and given action.
Most of the students raised the difference between a citizen journalist and a social media user.
Fourth year communication student Lorraine Mitzi Ambrad asked, “When can we say that someone is a citizen journalist most especially today that many social media users just post and post? Some even claim to be citizen journalists.”
Paraan differentiated that a citizen journalist is someone who follows the principles of journalism and takes responsibility of the content of his/her post while a mere social media user doesn’t take full accountability of his/her post and just posts random thoughts.
The talk ended with the students taking on the challenge of being citizen journalists in their own schools and communities.
Several e-mail addresses and social media sites were given to the students so they can submit their own work.
The use of “selfie reporting,” where one could use a phone for reporting issues, was also taught.
The campus talk was organized by ABS-CBN, USJ-R’s MassComm Coordinates and Cams.
It was the Cams’ and ABS-CBN Cebu’s second activity for the month of August under the segment Campus Patrol.
Last Aug. 24, a talent contest for Cams students was held at SM Seaside City. Tomorrow, August 31 at 3 p.m., is the live broadcast featuring the students at the same venue. /Cebu Normal University Communication Student Mary Nhel Dajao