A story rarely begins with a finished sentence. It begins with a question that will not leave the reporter alone: Why did the line at the registrar move so slowly this week? Who decided that the covered walkway would be repaired now? What happens to the students who commute from the coastal barangays during the rainy season?
The editorial board meets weekly to turn those questions into a coverage plan. The meeting is part planning session, part argument, and part reminder that a publication is a public trust.
Start with the calendar
The first page of the plan is always the academic calendar. Exams, enrolment, foundation days, and holidays shape what students need to know and when they need it. A story about enrolment is more useful before registration than after it.
The board lists fixed dates first, then works backward. If a major campus event is three weeks away, the preview runs two weeks before it, and the follow-up runs the week after. The calendar is not a cage, but it keeps the newsroom from chasing whatever is loudest that day.
Assign the question, not the angle
Editors try to assign questions rather than conclusions. A reporter who is told to write “the truth about the cafeteria” will struggle. A reporter who is asked “how are food prices set, and who checks them?” has a way in.
Every assignment includes a source list: the office that holds the records, the person who makes the decision, and the people affected by it. The list is a starting point, not a script.
Keep a running file
The board keeps a shared file of story ideas that are not ready yet. Some need documents. Some need a source who is not yet willing to talk. Some need to wait for a meeting or a budget cycle.
That file is one of the newsroom’s most valuable assets. It means a story is not lost just because it cannot be published this week.
Review, then publish
Every draft goes through at least two reads: the section editor and the editor-in-chief. The writer is part of the conversation. Factual claims are checked against notes and documents. Opinion is labeled. If a story is not ready, it waits.
The goal is not to publish everything. It is to publish what the campus can trust.
Corrections and clarifications: email piscatores@gmail.com. Piscatores follows the editorial standards in its editorial policies.
