Truth seekers. Truth speakers. Truth defenders.
Princess Payumo believes that there is no standard way of telling stories so one must always be open to different ways of delivering narratives as long as it speaks the truth.
She serves as the current Editor-in-Chief of The Angelite, the official student publication of Holy Angel University.
To get to know her better, Republicasia asked Princess a few questions about her journey as a student journalist fighting for press freedom in the country.
Behind the Persona
Tell me about yourself as a student journalist and your life outside of publication.
I became the Editor-in-Chief for the term 2022-2023. As an EIC, I did my best to guarantee that we are on the right track and The Angelite’s values and principles are aligned to our decisions and actions. I actually saw the silver lining in not having prior experience in how the publication worked during pre-pandemic because we were able to create our own dynamics that works for us in our current situation. If I can put together my whole term as an EIC, it was full of learning processes, leap of faith, and building of relationships.
Defining Moment
Tell me about that ‘defining moment’ that made you pursue journalism and continue to do so.
The first defining moment I had was when I did my first interview with our discipline coordinator for a feature article when I was in grade 6. Another one was when I got to read a message on our Facebook page of a parent who shared her struggle in enrolling her child and has commended us in stepping up in raising such issues. Through these, I realized that in journalism, I will not only gather information and then write them down, put the story together, proofread and all those technicalities, but I will also feel a roller coaster of emotions and meet people with different stories.
Generation Voice
What do you think is the most pressing issue that affects press freedom in the country nowadays? What do you think are the significant roles of young journalists in advancing genuine national press freedom?
Red-tagging is the most pressing issue that affects press freedom. Many are being threatened, silenced, harassed and killed because of being critical, asking for accountability, and sometimes just even doing community services. This is a manifestation that our supposed safe and open space for dialogues, advocacies and criticism is growing smaller. Hence, it is great to see the youth of today who are vigilant and open to learn and are intentional to educate people as well.
Powerful Quote
Tell me about your mantra as a journalist. What message can you give to the aspiring journalist of the new generation?
“You don’t have to explain everything to everyone always. Nothing more can give justification than the truth itself.” You can choose to be firm in your words and actions and let the truth speak for itself- it is more than enough to justify everything. However, let us also be teachable in a way that a certain story or people teaches us how to approach and deliver it, making us realize that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach in journalism.
