Melanie Viloria-Briones
(University of the Assumption, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines)

 

 

Abstract: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights stated that “It is the mass media that make the exercise of freedom of expression a reality” (Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), 2005). Thus, there is need for a free media. Anchored on the principle of Freedom of Expression provided under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR), the Philippine Media has been regarded to be one of the freest, specifically among its Asian neighbors. This has been strengthened in the Philippine Constitution under Article 3 Section 4 as the provision guarantees Freedom of Expression and of the Press. But is this freedom of the press also true in Philippine campuses? In various fora of student-journalists, problems on censorship are being raised; but there is no documented undertaking to prove and settle such issues. Thus, this research aimed to establish and unravel whether freedom of expression and media independence is observed in Philippine campuses. Specifically, it aimed to answer the following questions:
(1) Is editorial independence adhered to in the country’s campus publications?
(2) Is Fiscal Autonomy observed among student publications in the Philippines?
(3) How can the rule of free press in campuses be reconciled with school or university policies?
This study is a combination of the Qualitative and Quantitative types of research which utilized the descriptive and evaluative methods of research.

 

 

Key words: campus journalism, freedom of expression, media independence, fiscal autonomy, laws