From the corridors of the University to the crossroads of national struggle, The LaSallian has stood unflinching before history—documenting, questioning, and narrating the story as it is.
For 65 years, since our maiden issue in 1960, the publication has remained steadfast in its role as the voice of the Lasallian community—never cowering from administrative pressure and attempts to suppress our editorial independence. Guided by our motto, “Be there when it happens,” we have borne witness to defining moments: from being forced to cease operations during the Martial Law in 1972, to chronicling the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986, and most recently, documenting the Trillion Peso March last September 21. In every chapter, we have sought to bridge national issues with Lasallians to make sense of the world in and beyond Taft.
Back when print media reigned supreme, its authority rested on credibility and permanence—whatever was printed carried weight, and once it was out, there was nothing to do but let the fine print shape conversation. Yet as the publication, along with the rest of the world, entered the digital age, the challenges evolved alongside it. While we continue to uphold the value of print through our broadsheets, we now contend with shrinking budgets and ongoing attempts to curtail editorial independence.
In today’s fast-paced digital space, where every post can be edited and manipulated at a moment’s notice, journalists shoulder a new burden: balancing truth-telling with mounting public and institutional pressures. The forms of censorship we once confronted—violent, direct, and physical—have transformed into subtler, digital forms: online harassment, disinformation, and systemic suppression that spreads faster and cuts deeper.
Our publication is no stranger to the pressure. We have faced calls to delete or “rewrite” published stories deemed “too damaging” or “misleading.” These requests rarely come from readers seeking accuracy but from groups wishing to control public perception. Take, for instance, our recent newsbites on the bomb threat and psychology professor—both grounded in verified facts and official accounts, yet still met with calls for alteration, censorship, and removal.
But responsible journalism does not mean appeasing those who feel exposed. Even subtle forms of censorship, be it institutional pressure or social media optics, erode the integrity of the press. We are not anyone’s mouthpiece; our role is to inform, provoke, and hold the line when the truth is at stake.
The editorial independence we exercise comes at a heavy cost. Reporting without external influence attracts backlash, pressure, and isolation—all because institutions fear public knowledge and value reputation over accountability. Within our own campus, external parties have even attempted to prevent us from distributing our broadsheets.
Relatively, The LaSallian enjoys the privilege of near-complete editorial independence—a freedom not all college publications can claim. Many continue to operate under constraints—their voices are monitored, and their ability to hold institutions accountable is limited. Campus journalists were even targeted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group after the September 21 protests—threatening not just the unfiltered truth of what transpired during that afternoon, but also the freedom of the press as a whole.
Being one of the nation’s leading student publications, our stance against censorship is a shared experience of all campus journalists, as mirrored in our editorials in 2023 and 2024. In the same vein, we must confront efforts that silence the student press and distort accountability, reminding the public of the truths that matter and the facts that will always sting for those whose actions do not benefit the common good. However, when the perpetrators divert blame toward truth-tellers for being “biased” or “destroying their reputations,” they not only sap the spirits of the resilient press but also toy with the confines of the information ecosystem.
At present, the Philippine climate is fraught with a manifold of catastrophes—from intense earthquakes and widespread flu outbreaks, to “ghost” flood control projects and a Congress slowly descending into chaos. In times like these, the press plays an essential role in bridging these multifaceted issues and the public, particularly those from the younger generations. However, when the very citizens we seek to serve also dismiss journalists, propagate misinformation, and constrain spaces for dissent, they risk their own access to factual information and critical discourse.
Despite this, we remain steadfast in the fight for press freedom. We firmly urge university administrators, students, alumni, and the Filipino people to respect our duty as a cornerstone of truth and accountability, and not as an echo chamber for comfort, consensus, and convenience.
The LaSallian will always tell the complete story, even when others demand only distorted fragments. This is the responsibility we have inherited, the same one our predecessors have fought for across generations. Because the truth, no matter how inconvenient, will always be what the community deserves.
