Immersion in the Writing Field

A Story by Daryl

The endless fight against media misuse and the realization of its importance...

Writing is one of the basic forms of communication. In communication studies, it is considered as the first Communication Revolution. Even before the medieval times, the effectiveness of writing was proven to be the most influential aspect among the endeavors of mankind. It is a routine division of primitive humans’ ventures that they can’t live without.

This particular skill, which, in my view, was developed because of early people’s desperation to communicate effectively, was nurtured as time passed by. It was given even more emphasis during the Renaissance, when there was a boom of knowledge not only in the sciences, but also in literature and the arts. The expansion of writing continues as this form of communication tried to connect almost everybody around the world, leading to a more sophisticated and improved shape – the print media.

Among all other forms of communication, print media serves as the baseline of all media forms. In almost all endeavors, we write. In school, practically, I have learned that the mastery of writing is taught first before the mastery of speaking. At work, most interoffice communications and relations are made through, if not literally written, printed media. The influence of this medium was so much realized that there even emerged a special area of training for disciplined writing: Journalism.

I am a Journalism student. Upon taking the course, I consequently immersed myself into the advocacy of effectively using this so-called “power,” learn more about the other phases of this verbal, non-vocal form of expression, and build the interest of contributing to the growing world of print media.

It is not merely because of the fact that Journalism was my chosen course and will be my future career why print media has so much value to me. I have reasons that are, for me, more sensible and that most people, even those who chose to take Journalism, would barely figure out.

Print media gives me the right to know what is going on around me. The events, the people, the things are there – concretely detailed. It gives me the opportunity to stay connected with my environment. From the print media, I can get not just the meat of the information that I want to have, but also the other supporting information, which gives me additional knowledge. As a Journalism student, a Mass Communications student at that, it is a basic need to be informed and updated. For me, print media satisfies that need more, among others.

Reading newspapers and other specialized magazines imparted on me invaluable intellectual possessions. The knowledge might be all about a new biological innovation with the disadvantage of disturbing the human ethics, a procedure on how to develop a sustainable meal plan for diabetic or asthmatic people, how to starve one’s self of sexually-inclined influences, or just about the latest album of my favorite music artist. This knowledge can also be as serious as political bickering and the country’s economic status. The topics are diverse and endless, so as the knowledge that one can get from them.

Another value that I consider about print media is the entertainment that it gives me. Simply put, the variation of human-interest issues, plus pictures, makes reading more enjoyable... more entertaining.

From reading print media, all the information that I have had, which were turned into stored knowledge, added with the feeling of entertainment prepares me to a much more important venture – the practice of journalism. I, as a Journalism student, need all the values of print media that I considered to gear me up for my skills development for me to face all the challenges of my future career. It starts with two: reading, then writing.

Print media have always given journalists, and student journalists, a special place in this world... a place where pens are indeed mightier than swords.

Daryl Z. Lasafin