The Blaze’s EIC: Journalism Speaker in Tagumbao National High School

Ms. Jamaica B. Codillo, The Editor-in-Chief of The Blaze, the official student publication of the College of Business and Accountancy of Tarlac State University, partake as a resource speaker at the School-Based Press Conference 2022 participation of Tagumbao National High School, with a theme “Reigniting the spirit of Campus Journ among the Campus Journalists” on November 23, 2022.

As invited by the said school to further train and prepare their campus journalists in the upcoming Municipal Schools Press Conference, Codillo shared her expertise in writing news articles for both the English and Filipino category. The Blaze’s Editor-in-Chief enthusiastically discussed the topic, starting from the basics which is intended for those first-time journalism workshop attendees and as a refresher for students whose skills have been idle because of the two-year break of conducting journalism competitions due to the pandemic. Afterwards, Codillo emphasized about the background of news, its importance, types, parts, and form, giving plenty of examples for each part. She also shared some tips or techniques on how to make their news write-ups better. Right after the talk, the TNHS student journalists had a small workshop in the English and Filipino category respec-

Nicole Anne Agdeppa & Joe Francis Rallo

tively, for the students to apply what they have learned. In an interview regarding the purpose of her talk “’Facts over fake news and misinformation’, that’s what I pointed out in my talk regarding News Writing. We are now in a generation where most information is misleading and could easily be fabricated, that’s why there is a need to open the minds of students while enhancing their skills in writing, to have integrity, not just in their news, but an integrity within them as well — and that motivated me to share my expertise in writing news articles.”

Meanwhile, a selected student and faculty of Tagumbao National High School present in the SBPC expressed their observations and insights after they gained learnings from the talk of Codillo through separate interviews. In the perception of one of the student journalists of TNHS who received useful knowledge from The Blaze’s EIC, Lord Baron F. Barcia said that “The speaker presented the topic clearly and her presentation was very informative”. On the other hand, from the point of view of TNHS Student Publication Adviser in English category, Mr. Raymarc Canceller, he commented that “The speaker shares her talent and expertise in News Writing. Her invalu- able expertise boosts the confidence of the student-journalists in exceeding their limit, for not staying in their comfort zone”. He also mentioned that Codillo made sure that their campus journalists learned a lot from her talk about News Writing.

“I was so grateful to Tagumbao National High School, especially Sir Jay Ar Duldulao for inviting me as their resource speaker in News Writing category, and to sir Raymarc Canceller for assisting us throughout our stay at the campus. Also, I want to extend my congratulations to students who spent their time and participated in the event. I hope what they’ve learned won’t just end after their competitions, because I know, they will be journalists with integrity and a good heart in the future. “ Codillo said.

One of the most crucial category in journalism is writing News. A news article must be adequately researched before releasing, in order to deliver truthful information to the public. Indeed, the head of the current Editorial Board and Staff of the Blaze, Ms. Jamaica B. Codillo, successfully imparted this important knowledge to aspiring young campus journalists who aim to develop their background in correctly serving news to the people both in English and Filipino language.