Since my early high school days, I already envisioned being a sports writer but I never grabbed the opportunity to be part of the school publication. Self-doubt has always been my problem. I would get envious and feel remorse every time I would hear stories of journalism competitions like the Regional Schools Press Conference and National Schools Press Conference from friends, alumni, or even from speakers in masterclasses.

Then came college.

When I entered the Weekly Sillimanian, the student publication of Silliman University, my life changed quickly. My lifestyle as a whole, my daily routines, my personal perspectives, my point of view, and even my decision making process changed. Burning the midnight oil to write stories, running for interviews, skipping classes, breakdowns… name it, I have experienced it.

Time management is a major skill a student journalist must equip himself with and as someone producing stories on a weekly basis for the first time, it was a skill that was not easy to master. I had a really hard time balancing academics and responsibilities in the student publication, not to mention that I also held two positions in our college council.

PATIENCE, CHOICES

I could still recall those times when I had to choose between doing an interview or going to class. One time, I was scheduled to meet the university president for a photoshoot for our magazine. I felt at that time that I did not have a choice but to skip class, a major subject at that, since the president’s schedule had to be the priority. Booking an appointment with the president was already a challenge.

There were also instances when I had to leave class to revise an article or to cover an event. These usually happened on days when I had to beat deadlines or at times when I was given an important impromptu assignment. I had to make difficult choices.

But the news doesn’t end there. Gathering data is just the first step. The more rigorous part, for me, is what follows - reviewing interviews, scouring for additional information, and writing… not to mention rewriting, and rewriting, when my editor felt changes had to be made to the story. Aside from effort, these processes take time… and took quite a substantial amount of my time.

And then there’s the post mortem meetings that took place after every issue of the paper. The meetings ate up my usual study hours as these could last for up to three hours. There were also times when we finished the meetings just as the campus guards would arrive to close our office at 11 p.m.

Aside from being time-consuming, being part of the student publication also tested my patience and perseverance, especially when I had to produce stories during the so-called “hell week” or the week of major examinations.

Events such as the Founders’ month celebration, university intramurals, and the annual student government took days to cover and while tiresome in many ways were also events that every campus journalist looked forward to covering.

THE NEGATIVE

Beyond the actual work, what also tested my spirit was the negative criticism on social media. I knew I could not please everyone but being pounded online can often be too overwhelming, even painful. It is true that even a single mistake, a single wrong punctuation can ruin one’s whole output. The worst part, at least to me, was that the readers would remember the mistake more than the actual story I wrote.

One experience I will never forget was when a prominent figure in the university lambasted me on social media because of an interview I did on a topic that he felt I did not have any knowledge of. I admit I had limited idea about the topic prior to the interview but I felt he did not have to talk about it online, especially that his posts triggered tongue-lashing from his followers, with me in the receiving end.

I was blindsided about it and it was actually my colleague who told me about the situation online.

Rather than mope in frustration, I took a screenshot of the tweet that started it all and used it to as motivation to be better.

UPSIDE

It’s not all negative, this I can assure.

One of the most rewarding moments for every student journalist was interviewing prominent news sources. In my case, I had the opportunity to meet Pia Cayetano while I was covering the PIA Cup, and multi-awarded journalists Jeff Canoy and Patricia Evangelista. I also had the opportunity to meet the ever dynamic Mr. Pure energy, Gary Valenciano, with whom I shared dinner together with other representatives from the university after his concert in the school.

In 2019, my colleagues and I in the school publication also had the opportunity to represent Silliman in the University Publication Congress in Cebu. STI-West Negros University, University of San Carlos, and University of the Philippines-Cebu were just among the notable universities that sent representatives.

But perhaps what was most fulfilling to me as a student journalist was seeing students reading the stories I wrote, and others recognizing me as a member of the publication just like that time when high school students recognized me as the photojournalist from the Weekly Sillimanian. My heart burst when they applauded me for my work and when they told me they would also want to be part of the student publication and follow in my footsteps.

Yes, being part of the student publication took a lot of my time and energy, and brought me to hell and back, but the kind of positive impact my work has had on others was what made the journey rewarding and worth living, and reliving.

(The author, Ian Zane Esparaga, was a news writer and photojournalist of the Weekly Sillimanian, the official weekly student publication of Silliman University. He graduated from Silliman in 2022 with a degree in Mass Communication and a major in broadcasting.)