OPPORTUNITIES

FOR IMPROVEMENT

2023 Regional Schools Press

Conference (RSPC)
Winning Papers
 GENERAL RECOMMENDATION

On visual appeal

o Improve page layout and design. Layout and design impact overall
appeal of each of your school paper sections.
o Establish grand, unique visual appeal. Decide on what layout type to
apply (text domination, image supremacy, or image-text dominance);
be consistent.
o Choose among these color schemes – monochromatic, analogous, to
tetradic:

Source: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory
o Adhere to layout and design principles – elements, proximity,
contrast, etc.
o Present sharp, quality photo/images/graphics.
o Show excellent combination of color-font-article.

On ‘porma’, grammar, and style/mechanics

o Use appropriate, catchy, unbiased titles/headlines.

Headlines need to project significance.

Example: School celebrates First World Autism Awareness Day

▪ The headline is problematic: Apart from it does not name the

school celebrating the first world autism awareness day, it does
not project significance to the school/community: it just shows
the school celebrates the event.

It may be improved to:

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Balanga CS promotes inclusivity
in World Autism Awareness Day

o Focus on the significant angle in leads.

o Present strong, appealing leads or introduction.
o Check for grammaticality and mechanics.
o For each sentence, apply KISS – keep it simple and succinct.
o Ensure logical organization of ideas and facts.
o Observe proper presentation of table, graph/chart, photo or images
 ▪ Avoid misleading graphs/chart, table.
▪ Use sharp, good-quality photo/images.
▪ Observe proper cropping of photos/images.
▪ Put caption, cutline and credits in photos/images.
▪ Cite sources.

On substance

o Ensure pages satisfy thematic unity, especially in feature page.

WEAK FEATURE SECTION

SOURCE: https://images.template.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sample-Newspaper-Layout-Template-in-PPT.jpg?width=550
STRONG FEATURE SECTION

SOURCE: Ang Bagong Pananaw. Best Feature Page. RSPC 2023 Secondary Filipino.

o Present articles of global, national, regional, community, and school

significance.
o Prop up article with interview, data/documentary analysis and other
secondary data.
o Demystify jargons or acronyms, if there are any and when applicable.
o Articulate welfare of the community in articles.
On intellectual property and ethical considerations
o Properly cite all sources.
o Attribute statistics, narrative and other facts to credible sources.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.
 NEWS PAGE

o Check whether the global, national, regional, community, and school-

based news included are relevant to your school or locality; if not, do
contextualize.
o Add infographics

On Headline and Lead

o Use catchy but appropriate, bias-free headlines. Headlines need to

project significance.

Headlines need to project significance.

Example:
Bagong Superintendente, binigyang diin pagbigay-suporta sa
edukasyon

can be improved to:

EDU-KALIDAD
Bagong Superintendente, binigyang diin
pagbigay-suporta sa edukasyon

o Focus on the significant angle in leads.

On Content
o Arrange text in decreasing importance.
o KISS – keep it simple and succinct.
o Demystify jargons.
o Prop up article with interview, data/documentary analysis and other
secondary data.
o Attribute statistics and other facts to reliable source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.

On Table, Graph/Chart, Photo or Images

o Avoid misleading graphs/chart, table.

o Use sharp, good-quality photo/images.
o Observe proper cropping of photos/images.
o Put caption, cutline and credits in photos.
o Cite sources.
EDITORIAL PAGE

o Ensure global, national, regional or community issues included in the

page affect your school or locality.
o Have main editorial, editorial cartoon, columns, commentaries,
surveys, and letters to the editor present.
o Add infographics.

On titles and intros

o Use appropriate, catchy, unbiased titles.

o Present strong introduction.

On Content

o Present the stand of the editorial staff on the issues.

o Establish logical arrangement of arguments.
o Support arguments with facts.
o KISS – keep the sentence simple and succinct.
o Demystify jargons.
o Prop up article with interview, data/documentary analysis and other
secondary data.
o Attribute statistics and other facts to reliable source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.
On editorial cartoon, columns, letters to the editor, commentaries
o Ensure 3Cs in editorial cartoon - clear, clean, constructive.
o Present columns on topics tackling relevant student-oriented subjects
or issues.
o Promote welfare of the community in opinions.
 FEATURE PAGE

o Thematize the feature section.

o Establish coherence of articles and the theme.
o Display a unique and creative presentation.
o Ensure global, national, regional, community, and school-based
news/issues presented are relevant to your school or locality.
o Add infographics.

On titles
o Use catchy, witty but appropriate titles.
o Present strong introduction

On Content
o Prop up article with interview, data/documentary analysis and other
secondary data.
o Give justice to language facility – be creative, but clear and organized
presentation of thoughts.
o Ensure ideas and facts are logical organization of ideas and facts.
o Attribute statistics, narrative and other facts to credible source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.

On Photo or Images

o Use sharp, good-quality photo/images.

o Observe proper cropping of photos/images.
o Put caption, cutline and credits in photos.
o Cite sources.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PAGE

o Display a unique and creative presentation of topics. Group them by

focus – science, technology and innovation; and health and
environment.
o Check whether global, national, regional, community, and school-
based issues included are relevant to your school or locality.
o Present article in news feature or feature style.
o Ensure logical organization of ideas and facts, with discussion of its
significance to the promotion of the quality of lives of the Filipinos.
o Add infographics.
o Properly attribute sources.

On titles/headlines

o Use catchy, witty but appropriate titles/headlines

o Present strong introduction
o Focus on the significant angle in leads

On Content
o Prop up article with interview, data/documentary analysis and other
secondary data.
o Give justice to language facility – be creative, but clear and organized
presentation of thoughts.
o Ensure articles are well-researched.
o Attribute statistics, narrative and other facts to credible source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards
On Table, Graph/Chart, Photo or Images
o Avoid misleading graphs/chart, table
o Use sharp, good-quality photo/images.
o Observe proper cropping of photos/images.
o Put caption, cutline and credits in photos.
o Cite sources.
 SPORTS PAGE

o Spice page with international, national, regional, community, and

school-based sports news that are relevant to your school’s athletic
and sports program.
o Add infographics.

On titles/headlines

o Use catchy, witty but appropriate titles/headlines.

o Focus on the significant angle in leads.
o Present strong introduction in sports editorial.

On Content

o Arrange text in decreasing importance.

o Ensure appropriate sports lingos/terms are used.
o Prop up article with statistics, interview, data/documentary analysis
and other secondary data.
o Cover sports issues/news on global, national, regional, community,
and school-based scale but relevant to your school or locality
o Focus on sports issues/news that affect the sports and athletic
program.
o Attribute statistics, narrative and other facts to credible source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.
On Table, Graph/Chart, Photo or Images
o Avoid misleading graphs/chart, table.
o Use sharp, good-quality photo/images.
o Observe proper cropping of photos/images.
o Put caption, cutline and credits in photos.
o Cite sources.
LAYOUT AND PAGE DESIGN

On ‘Porma’

o Decide on what layout type to apply (text domination, image

supremacy, or image-text dominance); be consistent.
o Adhere to layout and design principles – elements, proximity,
contrast, etc.
o Establish grand, unique visual appeal.
o Ensure all pages satisfy thematic organization.
o Present sharp, quality photo/images/graphics.
o Show excellent combination of color-font-article.

On Substance

o Consider global, national, regional and community significance of

stories in laying out articles, and photos or images.
o Avoid copyright infringement.
o Attribute statistics, narrative and other facts to credible source.
o Promote BARF (balance, accuracy, relevance, and fairness) standards.