News and Information Bureau (NIB) chief Luis Morente emphasized the importance of fair and truthful reporting on Thursday, the eve of World Press Freedom Day.

Morente, who also supervises the state-owned Philippine News Agency (PNA), reminded Communication students of the University of Antique (UA) to always remain truthful as it is essential in establishing credibility in the media industry.

‘Let us not be one-sided. Let us conduct more interviews to create credibility in our articles,’ said Morente, guest speaker of the Bachelor of Arts Communication Day post-activity event with the theme ‘Strategies in Ensuring a Successful Career in the Media Industry.’

To achieve balanced reporting, Morente stressed the importance of having more sources in writing news. He said the more interviewees or stakeholders, the more insights will be presented.

He also reminded the students to never get tired of learning and honing their skills, the same way he did when he joined the PNA.

He said he exerted efforts for self
-study through reading books to improve his writing skills, especially since his college course had nothing to do with journalism or communication.

‘You (students) should work hard, strive hard,’ Morente said.

The NIB has an existing partnership with UA.

A memorandum of agreement was signed on Nov. 23, 2023, allowing UA to have its students undergo an internship program with the news agency.

Meanwhile, UA vice president for academics Dr. Jelyn Alentajan thanked the NIB director for sharing his experiences and knowledge with the students.

‘UA is honored and grateful for your (Morente) commitment to share with the BA Communication students your knowledge and experiences for them to be industry-ready when they go to the world of work,’ Alentajan said.

Shella Sandoy, UA BA Communications Program head, said in her closing message that Morente’s coming to the university bridged the gap between academics and the realities of media work.

Students who had their on-the-job training with PNA, Paul Vincent Guzman,
Junniela Montalba, and Nildz Kate Millondaga, also shared their experiences while doing their internship.

‘I was allowed to join in media coverage and on how to conduct interviews,’ Guzman said. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency