Campus Journalism As A Panacea To Achieving Humanitarianism

The evolution and emergence of journalism as the fourth estate in the realm which would checkmate the arms of government in the quest to achieve accountability to the citizenry had made the importance of the entity of journalism unquantifiable and inestimable. The crucial roles of journalists in the course of keeping political office holders on their toes and in check has placed journalism as the mouthpiece of the voice of the masses. The development of journalism on campuses all over the world had brought explicitly the reason why youths and students should hold their leaders accountable in the course of achieving good governance. These had also led to the upliftment to the bane of humanitarianism in course of attaining greater good (utilitarianism) in the development of the society.

The role of the youths and students in the quest of societal and nation-building cannot be over-emphasized. The involvement of youths in the course of governance and social responsibility can be effectively utilized through campus journalism. The aim of campus journalism is to build and inculcate the youths in the act of holding their leaders accountable for the ways they are being governed. According to Pressreader.com, campus journalism also gives student journalists the opportunity to practice their craft and share thoughts and insights about issues.

The recognition and legitimization of campus journalism in countries around the world drives home the realization of the fact that youths cannot be underestimated and neglected in the governance of peoples. The enactment of the Campus Journalism Act of 1991 in the Philippines is an attestation to this fact. The act seeks to safeguard the rights of students in the pursuit to lend a voice in the issues, policies, events and happenstances shifting the tides in the society. It also seeks to prevent infringements on the right to freedom of expression and uphold the freedom of the press at the campus level to ensure the security of the students in voicing out their opinions to attain the betterment of the populace in the society. It is advised that the Nigerian government inculcate this by enacting an act to protect the rights of journalists in their fervent pursuit to uphold humanitarianism.

Humanitarianism must be upheld to ensure that the citizens of the society enjoy the dividends of the government administering the course of their affairs. This could be achieved if youths and indeed the people and the populace could voice out their opinions and condemn injustices perpetrated by government officials. The infusion and contributions of campus journalism in attaining the odyssey of steering the society to greater heights and actualization would go a long way in achieving utilitarianism in the quest of humanitarianism in our societal jurisdictions.

This story has been published on CAMPUS REPORTER with very minimal editing to preserve the original voice of the author.