BIBLIOGRAPHY PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. ...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. April 2012. Evaluation of the Benguet State
University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011 Issues. Benguet State University,
La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Igrelyn P. Pinos-an, BSc
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to evaluate Shamag, the official publication of Benguet
State University.
Specifically, the study determined the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents; content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics
covered, treatment, placement of articles, and placement of pictures and illustrations.
Likewise, it evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of lay-out, pictures and
illustrations, typography, color and content; and, collected suggestions from the
respondents for the improvement of Shamag.
Majority of the respondents were females. More than half of them were teaching
employees. Most of them were MS graduates; most were also in service at BSU from one
to 10 years; and almost all of them were above 20 years old but below 60 years of age.
They were from the different offices, colleges and departments.
The articles, pictures and illustrations were analyzed based on the fourfold function
of the Benguet State University – Research, Extension, Instruction and Production. Articles
which did not fall under the enumerated functions were categorized under No Category.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
There were 39 total articles for the five issues where February and May had the
highest numbers of articles published. Although December and January were merged into
one issue, its issue published the lowest number of articles.
Moreover, most of the articles published in the five issues were under the
Instruction function. It was noted that Extension and No Category had the same number of
articles. In addition, there were more articles under the No Category than articles under the
Research and Production functions. The lowest numbers of articles published were under
Research.
In terms of treatment, more than half of the articles were presented as straight news.
Majority of the news-feature articles were under Research and Extension. There were three
photo-essays and two announcements published.
Out of six articles placed in the front page, five stories were under Instruction. On
the other hand one front page article was under No Category.
There were total of 110 pictures and illustrations in the five issues. In relation to
the number of articles, most of the pictures and illustrations also were under the Instruction.
However, there were more pictures under the No Category than the other three functions
of the university. Research has the least number of pictures.
Further, the evaluation of the newsletter was based on the following characteristics:
lay-out, pictures and graphics, typography, colors and content.
The lay-out gained very good rating in terms of arrangement of the elements;
creativity in lay-outing; white spaces; design which were easily identified as the
newsletters identity or trademark; and size of the newsletter.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
Pictures and illustrations in terms of attractiveness; appropriateness of size; easy
identification of the picture and illustrations; relevance; design; presence of labels; and
clarity of message were also acceptable to the respondents. The design of the pictures to
stimulate interest got the lowest score basing from the responses of the respondents.
Typography in terms of appropriateness of font style and font size, headings and
column breaks were rated very good by the respondents.
Likewise, the colors in terms of the background, combination, contrast and
harmony were also rated very good.
Finally, very good remarks were also gained for the overall quality of the
information; articles under the fourfold functions of the university; information on BSU
activities; relevance of information; and conciseness of information.
Although the results got very good remarks, there were points for improvement
under the visual design, content, time and frequency of publication enumerated by the
respondents.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Information is knowledge. Without information, one may not update one’s self, on
what happens around. Day to day happenings including political, social, economic or of
any other kind, offer information.
In Benguet State University (BSU), one way of disseminating information to the
employees is through Shamag, the university's official publication which is published
monthly. It is accessible in print copies distributed by the University Public Affairs Office
(UPAO) and in digital copies uploaded in the University website www.bsu.edu.ph.
Shamag, an Ibaloi term that means news, is the official publication of Benguet State
University. It functions as the University’s mouthpiece for its accomplishments and is
likewise a communication tool among BSU constituents. It started as the MSAC Newsletter
in the 1970’s to meet one of the requirements of then, the Department of Education, for a
college to be elevated into a university. Later, it became the BSU Newsletter and eventually
renamed to Shamag in 2001 (Shamag, 2011).
According to Tabangcura (2011), Shamag is published in tabloid size with eight
pages. The newsletter uses yellow and green shades, as background colors in its lay-out
and letterhead adhering to BSU’s official colors. The articles are published in English but
direct quotations in other languages are presented as is only that they are italized.
There is no set number of articles to be published in an issue. The number of articles
depends on the space of eight pages. In the case that there are articles not enough to fit the
pages, the staff prioritizes the most significant issues. University wide activities or issues
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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that concern the whole university is the most priority followed by college based to
department based issues.
The current Editors-in-Chief during the time of the study are Mr. Samuel S. Poliden
and Ms. Grace T. Bengwayan while Ms. Jennyline S. Tabangcura is the lay-out artist, the
associate editor and one of the writers.
The consideration on the visual design, content and reading preferences of the
audience become important in publishing print newspapers. Most people look at the visual
characteristics of a paper like colors and pictures. Before they begin to read newspapers,
people judge the value of the publication’s ideas by its design. Therefore, the readers must
be attracted to the paper in order for them to read its content. Also, there should be accurate
and relevant information to what the audience read since every publication is designed to
meet the needs of its readers.
Thus, newsletters should create design that can positively identify the paper. Print
publications have the advantage of creating a design based on the capabilities of the
publisher with regards to fonts, lay-out, photos and overall size of the publication. Every
paper has its own style which affects the readability of the paper. Thus, each style should
adopt or attain to guidelines of having excellent application of the elements of visual design
and; selection and presentation of content which are necessary for the audience.
For BSU, the main readers of the printed Shamag are the employees. Visitors or
guest and students are also readers of the newsletter. The evaluation of the newsletter is
therefore important to know how well the readers' needs are met. The evaluation may also
help for improvement of the newsletter. This will enable the users to keep reading and be
updated of the events.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
Statement of the Problem
The study answered the following questions:
1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?
2. What is the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of the following?
a. issues or topics
b. treatment of articles
c. placement of articles
d. placement of pictures and illustrations
3. How is the presentation of the newsletter in terms of the following?
a. lay-out
b. pictures and illustrations
c. typography
d. colors
e. content
4. What are the suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of Shamag?
Objectives of the Study
Generally, the study evaluated Shamag.
Specifically, the study:
1. determined the socio-demographic profile of the respondents;
2. content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of the following:
a. issues or topics
b. treatment of articles
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
c. placement of articles
d. placement of pictures and illustrations
4. evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of the following:
a. lay-out
b. pictures and illustrations
c. typography
d. colors
e. content
3. solicited suggestions from the respondents for the improvement of Shamag
Importance of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the printed Shamag. It will provide
the staff of the publication idea or insights if the services and information meet the needs
of the intended audience. It served as an avenue for the Shamag readers to share their
suggestions and ask what information they 'need' from the publication.
The results may be used by Shamag and other publications of the school such as
the students’ publications as guide in maintaining or improving their newsletter. In
addition, the study may be used as reference by students who want to conduct similar
research.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study focused on the evaluation of Shamag distributed in print from December
2010 to May 2011. It content analyzed nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of topics or
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
issues covered, treatment of articles, placement of articles and placement of pictures and
illustrations.
For evaluation, the study dwelled on the newsletter’s presentation in terms of lay-
out, pictures and illustrations, typography, colors and content. Evaluation of the newsletter
was done by employees of BSU - La Trinidad who answered the questionnaire formulated
by the researcher.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Newsletter
Newsletter, according to Freedictionary. com, is also called news-sheet, a printed
periodical bulletin circulated to members of a group; report or open letter giving informal
or confidential news of interest to a special group. As defined in Yourdictionary. com,
newsletter is a bulletin issued regularly to subscribers, employees, or members of an
organization group, containing news, a calendar of upcoming events and others.
Article Treatment
Article treatment refers to the categories created according to style of presentation
and the topics discussed (Listino, 2003).
According to Nair (2011), before writing an article the writer needs to decide on a
topic that in more cases than one is related to a news event. Articles can be categorized
according to the medium for which they are written. So, you can have articles that are
written for a newspaper, which are known as straight news articles. Other than this main
type, there are articles written for magazines, academic papers, journals, websites, blogs,
encyclopedias, articles written specifically for marketing purposes, etc.
The different ways in which articles are presented or categorized are given below.
Straight News. Articles that consist of facts given straight without embellishment
with its main aim which is to inform are straight news. It uses the summary lead and is
written using the inverted pyramid structure.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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According to Mula (2004), the characteristics of news stories may partly explain
why most published articles were news articles. News is short, fresh, direct and presents
issues in descending importance.
News-Feature. A news-feature article is an article that is about "softer" news
(Newspaper in Education, 2011). Mula (2004) added that news-feature is timely, usually
long and presents issues descriptively. Also, in 1999, Jerz defined news-feature as a human
interest story that is not closely tied to a recent news event.
Rogers (n. d.), stated that a news feature is a kind of feature story that focuses on a
straight news topic. News features combine a featurey writing style with straight news
reporting. He further stated that a writer needs to find a narrow, focused topic that can be
covered reasonably well in the space of a 1,500-word news feature. News-features tackle
important topics but they're still like any other kind of feature - they're people stories. That
means real people in the stories will bring the topic discussed to life.
News-features need people, but they also need facts. At some point every news-
feature needs an expert to talk about the issue being discussed. Experts lend news-features
authority and credibility.
Opinion. Opinions are not considered news stories. An opinion is a writer’s outlook
or judgment based from an event. Yourdictionary. Com defined opinion as a belief based
on experience and on seeing certain facts and made after a careful study. It is a judgment
about a person, a thing or an event.
According to Newspaper in Education. com (2011), an opinion article may come
in editorial, column and letter to the editor or essay contributions from the readers.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Editorial is an article that contains the writer's opinion. Editorials are usually run
all together on a specific page of the paper and focus on current events. On the other hand,
a column is an article written by the same person on a regular basis. A columnist (the writer
of the column) writes about subjects of interest to him/her, current events or community
happenings.
Contributions from the readers such as the Letter to the Editor also contain opinion
from the sender. It is one way of expressing their ideas and judgments in a certain issue.
Photo-essay. The word essay comes from the French term "to try." Writers often
use the essay form to try out new ideas or explore other types of new territory. The word
photo refers to the use of photographs rather than drawings or paintings.
Commonly, photographs and illustrations can support text, but in photo-essays that
relationship is often reversed; the photographs lead the text. In photo-essays, you'll likely
notice the photographs first. A photo-essay is a series of photographs that conveys a story,
usually accompanied by a written text and published as a book or special feature in a
periodical.
According to Newspaper in Education. com (2011), the photos in a photo-essay are
chosen with the same care and precision with which the writer chooses the words. The
photos to be used are high quality and are featured prominently in the layout. Each
photograph contains a wealth of information and may generate an equivalent wealth of
questions and wonderings before the reader even approaches the text. Rather than merely
providing a caption to the photographs, writers of photo-essays are often responding in
depth to what the photographs make them feel or wonder.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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A photo-essay (or photographic essay) is a set or series of photographs that are
intended tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. A photo essay will often
show pictures in deep emotional stages. Photo essays range from purely photographic
works to photographs with captions or small notes to full text essays with a few or many
accompanying photographs. Photo essays can be sequential in nature, intended to be
viewed in a particular order, or they may consist of non-ordered photographs which may
be viewed all at once or in an order chosen by the viewer (Hopkinson and Lenman, n. d.).
Announcement. According to the Freedictionary. com, an announcement is a public
statement; a brief item or advertisement, as in a newspaper or a formal printed or written
invitation.
In 2011, Nair stated that announcement may be one category of writing articles.
Most local newspapers, especially newsletters include announcement which may be an
agreement, a law or a line-up of upcoming activities.
There are certain aspects that characterize a newspaper article. These distinguishing
features need to be considered before writing about a topic in order to have a well structured
article.
Placement of Articles, Pictures and Illustrations
Newspapers including newsletters and magazines have three parts – the front page,
inside pages and back pages. Malinao (1997) said that most newspapers are aimed at a
broad spectrum of readers, usually geographically defined. He added that it is important to
know the placements of the articles so that it would be easier to find articles the readers are
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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looking for. Also, placements separate the different kinds of news articles, either featured
news, straight news or news feature.
Images reinforces each person’s instinctive “knowledge” that news pictures don’t
lie, that pictures are worth a thousand words, and that seeing is indeed believing (Harris
and Lester, 2002). Generally pictures are included as supplement to the articles. Since they
are worth a thousand words, pictures and illustrations are used to narrate and describe an
event which may not be written as article. Other newspapers use pictures and illustrations
as fillers to avoid too much white space.
Characteristics of an Excellent Newsletter
An excellent newsletter is very well organized and easy to read; exceptionally
attractive and visually appealing to the reader or person; and, contains all necessary
required elements.
According to Folkerts and Lacy (2004), publishers should find out what readers
would read and what attracts them to newspapers. Thus, the visual quality and contents are
essential in an excellent newsletter.
An excellent newsletter appropriately executes and presents the following
elements:
Lay-out. Lay-out is the make-up or the window dressing of a page. It is consists
with the arrangement of illustrations, texts and graphics on a page which is to be printed
including the selection of font styles, sizes and colors. Laying out a page is a matter of
personal taste. There are no criteria set for it. Therefore, the staff may experiment freely on
page make-up until they get the pattern acceptable to them (Fetalvero, 2003).
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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According to White (n. d.), lay-out is the term used to describe a sketch or drawing
of the newsletter before any work has begun. By using a lay-out, you can begin to visualize
the "look" of your newsletter.
Shamsi (2005) added that lay-out is the arrangement of headlines, text, artwork and
white space on a page or pages. Lay-out could be static or dynamic. If one can predict the
lay-out of tomorrow's page today because it has been similar, with minor variations, the
lay-out is called static. It is dynamic when nobody can predict what it will be. The designer
is attempting to respond dynamically to the news.
Factors of an Excellent Layout
1. Proportion (Balance). Balance is the arrangement of elements in a composition
to achieve equilibrium or a sense of equally distributed weigh or proportion (Harris and
Lester, 2002). The proportion deals with the ratio of one part to another and of the parts to
the whole. Balance helps determine the sizes and arrangement of the individual parts of
lay-out (Fetalvero, 2003).
2. Unity (Harmony). Harmony is the agreement between parts. The content of every
page must blend as a harmonious unit. No one part of the page should overshadow another.
The headlines should complement each other and the pictures should not distract the eyes
too much (Fetalvero, 2003).
In 2002, Harris and Lester stated that harmony is the creation of visual order or
unity. A harmonious composition is one which all of the elements relate to one another or
work in a complementary way. Harmony is achieved when there is a clear sense of visual
style and when the use of color, typography and image communicates the same message.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Harmony means that there is general agreement between the message and its presentation.
All of the visual elements work comfortably together in a harmonious lay-out.
3. Emphasis. According to Fetalvero (2003), emphasis gives proper importance to
the parts and to the whole. It involves the differentiation between the more important and
the less important.
Emphasis influences the choices of fonts, colors and size. The thing that stands out
most gets noticed first.
4. Rhythm. Harris and Lester (2002) defined rhythm as the regular pattern of visual
elements created through the repetition and alignment of form such as line, pattern, texture,
color, or shape. It offers a sense of visual order. Through the repetition of the elements,
rhythm creates a clear sense of movement or direction. It is a powerful tool for establishing
a sequence of information that guides the viewer through a lay-out. Rhythm contains
movement that helps the reader access content.
5. Space. According to Parker (n. d.), space is one way to add visual impact to the
newsletter, separating them from competition and making them easier to read.
Space in visual design is an area defined by visual elements. It is the area in which
the visual elements reside. It is also the area between and among visual elements and media.
Space defines the boundaries of the design. White space is often described as the space
surrounding elements within a composition. It is the area that does not contain visual
elements – images or text – and key to the success of the design (Harris and Lester, 2002).
White space is used to break up chunks of texts into shorter paragraphs and link to
more in-depth content.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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As stated by Fetalvero (2003), lay-outing is a skill as important as any journalism
skills. It can be learned better through practice. Layout does so much good to newspapers
and newsletters because it gives prominence to the news in proportion to its importance; it
makes the pages appear attractive; it gives the paper a personality or individuality of its
own; and it makes the different contents easy to find and read.
Syed (2006) added that the lay-out of a page is very important in the production of
a good newspaper or newsletter. The lay-out should be such that the greatest amount of
information is printed on a page to give variety. But, this may be kept in mind that it should
not create any confusion. A page should give the look of being clean and neat from the top
to the bottom.
No amount of beautiful stories and fresh news can salvage a poor layout. “First
impression lasts”. However good the staff writers are, if the layout artist lacks knowledge
on how they would present their works as a whole, then the outcome is below satisfaction.
Pictures and Illustrations. Good pictures speak for themselves. The picture should
have information related to the story with which it is to be used. The words with the picture
should match. The reader must be told what, where, when and why of the photograph
(Shamsi, 2005).
Shamsi further discussed that many photographers of international argue that a
good photograph should never undergo cropping. But it may be true of only excellent news
photograph capturing decisive moments. Most of the photographs can be improved by
cropping to show emphasis on the story and what is in the picture. The shape of the picture
is decided by the story content.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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While determining the size of a picture, emphasis should be on legibility and
impact. It is pointless to give a photograph if it is printed so small that the relevant detail
is lost. Legibility determines the minimum size of the picture and maximum has to be
determined by the availability of space, competition from other news pictures or stories.
The font size should match the size of the newsletter.
According to Folkerts and Lacy (2004), photojournalism, which integrates words
and photographs attempts to explain people's behavior and the nature of the world. It is
capable of powerfully affecting an audience's interpretation of an event and often defines
the public memory. People's memories of the September 11, 2001, will forever be defined
by the photograph of fire-fighters raising the flag at the site of the World Trade Center. It
opens up arenas of action and images that people would otherwise never see.
Georgii (2009) added that good graphics are essential to a vibrant and successful
newsletter. The graphics on each page should represent well the stories and items on that
page.
The primary task of graphic design is to create a strong, consistent visual hierarchy
in which important elements are emphasized and content is organized logically and
predictably. Graphic design is visual information management, using the tools of page
layout, typography, and illustration to lead the reader’s eye through the page. Readers first
see pages as large masses of shape and color, with foreground elements contrasting against
the background field. Then they begin to pick out specific information, first from graphics
if they are present, and only after this do they start parsing the harder medium of text and
begin to read individual words and phrases (Webstyleguide. com, n. d.).
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Although headlines are what get readers attention, the layout of the paper, graphics
and photographs are important to keep a reader’s attention. Without the use of illustrations,
a paper would be a jumble of words that can create monotony and boredom for the reader
(Graphic arts schools. com, n. d.).
Typography. Typography, as defined in Wisegeek. com, refers to the arrangement
of text on a page, and appears in some form or another in all instances of written
communication. Depending on the purpose, typography can be used for optimum
readability, impact, or an artistic statement. Quality typography can make a big difference
in communications, because it can impact the way the reader sees and feels about the topic
being discussed. At the most basic, typography is a combination of font, size, spacing, and
color.
A font of type is a collection of letters, numbers and other devices such as
punctuation marks and others, all of the same character and belonging to the same family.
A family of type is a collection of fonts and series all of the same basic design, but in
different sizes and weights or widths.
Sometimes, to give importance to the beginning of a news story, the introduction is
set in a larger font size than the story that follows it (Syed, 2006).
According to Harris and Lester (2002), typography clarifies, illuminate and
augment content. It can help or hinder the process of reading. The integration of typography
and the other elements of design (color, image, space and so on) can create powerful and
effective messages. Typography is also tied to the technology for which it was created and
the culture from which it was designed.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Typography has tremendous expressive potential. The selection of the type should
reinforce the message through selection that carefully considers the visual personality of
the typeface.
Font type can be elegant or casual; delicate or strong. It can shout or whisper. It can
have cultural identity. Type can suggest an era or a feeling of formality. Type can suggest
a particular place and time. It can be simple or complex.
The caption typography should be different from the adjacent reading text, usually
in bolder type and a size bigger. The differences in font style and size enhance and break a
continuous part. In captions of more than one line, the writer should try to aim at even lines,
giving instructions to square or equalise the line (Syed, 2006).
Color. It is important to choose color combinations that work well together to set
the tone (personality) of your newsletter. You do not want to use bright primary colors on
a business newsletter, any more than you would want to use a tinted maroon and grey on a
daycare piece.
Color is used to emphasize or to play something down; show differences or
similarities and help readers recall information and to find things. Light or a dark
background colors should be appropriate to the content, and use a color with good contrast
for the figure or text. Make sure that differences between colors are clear and obvious.
Most papers use bold and bright colors to get attention. Color coding is used to
improve attention and enhance attention to a visual message. Consider that many people
are color blind (Petterson, 2010).
According to White (n. d.), color adds creativity and visual attraction to the
newsletter. However, the publication should limit the numbers of colors used.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Content. Newsletters should ideally perform the role of the three primary functions
that are normally attributed to news and television media: to educate, to inform and to
entertain. But, the thrust of a newsletter is more to inform. Education and entertainment
are secondary and they help in enthusing the recipient to read it fully through (Rajan, 2009).
According to Crassweller (2011), the high level of “print only” readership by all
age groups demonstrates the value of the printed product. So, is it the platform for delivery
that is important? Is it the content? Or is it how the content is delivered?
Breaking news aside, the strength of newspapers is the editor’s ability to aggregate
and cull all the noise of the world’s events into a neat package for the reader. Most readers
do not have the time or interest to separate the wheat from the chaff; they expect their news
brands to perform that task for them.
The newsletter should give information that could be very useful for the potential
reader on the related field. The entertainment element in the newsletter should encourage
readers' involvement and participation. They may include quizzes, discount coupons,
profile of a specific and important customer, jokes, cartoons, reward offers for suggestions
and so on.
Needless to mention, the newsletter should contain the logo, title and address, e-
mail, phone and details of contact person or offices, in case the reader wants to get in touch.
The content of a newsletter depends on the time of its coverage. According to
Georgii (2009), aside from the visual and content importance of a newsletter, it should be
published and distributed on a regular basis. It can be once a week, every two weeks, once
a month, or quarterly. But it is absolutely essential that the newsletter is timely and comes
out on a regular basis.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Likewise, the publisher of the newsletter should be able to provide copies to all
offices or agency divisions.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted at the Benguet State University (BSU) - main campus. It
was identified as the area of the study since the research evaluated Shamag - the official
publication of the said university. BSU is five to six kilometres away from Baguio City. It
is located along Km 5 to Km. 6, La Trinidad, Benguet and has a total land area of 658.6250
hectares.
The university covers Research, Extension, Instruction and Production as its
fourfold function. It has nine undergraduate colleges and has a Graduate School and Open
University which offers masteral and doctorate courses. It has two other campuses, the
Bokod and Bugias campus.
Benguet State University is offering undergraduate courses and graduate courses to
with the primary purpose of providing courses in arts, sciences, humanities and
professional fields in agriculture, natural sciences, technology and other technical and
professional courses as the Board of Regents may determine and deem proper. It shall
promote research, extension, agribusiness, advanced studies and progressive leadership in
its field of specialization.
The BSU – main campus has a total 610 employees as of November, 2011.
The study was conducted from December 2011 to February 2012.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Respondents of the Study
Since Shamag is intended for the BSU employees, they were chosen to evaluate the
newsletter. There were 140 respondents – 77 teaching and 63 non-teaching employees of
BSU-La Trinidad campus.
All respondents were chosen through accidental sampling. Each of them were
readers of Shamag.
Subject of the Study
The newsletter has a size of 12” x 9”. It has 8 pages and seldom adds two pages as
insertions. Under the study, only the April issue had an additional inserted page.
The newsletter front page contains the masthead of the newsletter which included
the BSU logo, website and address.
The background colors used were combination of yellow and green shades. The
color of the font is black. Colored pictures were used in the front and back pages while the
pictures in the inside pages are in gray scale. The number of columns varies from one to
three columns.
Data Collection
Shamag newsletter from December 2010 to May 2011 issues were used for the
study. The researcher formulated a coding instrument based on the instrument used by
previous Development Communication researchers, Listino and Kis-ing which was used
for the content analysis.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
For the evaluation, survey questionnaires were distributed to the respondents in the
different offices. For recall purposes, copies of these issues were shown to the respondents.
Data Gathered
The data gathered were the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, coded
information on the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics, treatment of
articles, placement of articles; and placement of pictures and illustrations.
The evaluation on the presentation of Shamag in terms of lay-out, pictures and
graphics, typography, colors and content were also gathered as well as suggestions of the
respondents for the improvement of the publication.
Data Analysis
The data collected were tabulated using percentage and frequency counts, analyzed
and consolidated through descriptive statistics.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted to evaluate the Shamag newsletter of Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Specifically, the study determined the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents; content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics
covered, treatment, placement of articles, and placement of pictures and illustrations.
Likewise, it evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of lay-out, pictures and
graphics, typography, colors and content; and, collected suggestions from the respondents
for the improvement of Shamag.
The study was conducted from December 2011 to February 2012 using an
evaluation questionnaire and a coding sheet.
For the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, majority were female. More
than half of them were teaching employees. Aside from that, most of them were MS
graduates; most were in service at BSU from one to 10 years; and almost all of them were
above 20 years old but below 60 years of age. They were from the different colleges,
departments and offices in the university.
The articles, pictures and illustrations were analyzed based on the fourfold
functions of Benguet State University – Research, Extension, Instruction and Production.
Articles which did not fall under the enumerated functions were categorized under No
Category.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
There were 39 total articles for the five issues where February and May had the
highest numbers of articles published (9 articles each). Although December and January
articles were merged into one issue, its issue published the lowest number of articles.
The number of articles published per issue ranged from six to nine.
Most of the articles published in the five issues were under the Instruction function.
It was noted that Extension and No Category had the same number of articles. Moreover,
there were more articles under No Category than articles under the Research and
Production functions. Research had the lowest articles published with only two articles.
In terms of treatment, more than half of the articles were presented as straight news.
Majority of the news-feature articles were under Research and Extension. There were four
opinion, three photo-essay and two announcement published.
Out of six articles placed in the front page, five stories were under Instruction and
the other one was under No Category.
Four of the five issues published one article each on the front page while one issue
published two articles on its front page.
In terms of pictures and illustrations, there were total of 110 pictures and
illustrations in the five issues. Like in the number of articles, most of the pictures and
illustrations also were under the Instruction category. However, there were more pictures
under No Category than the other three functions of the university. Research has the least
number of pictures.
On the other hand, the evaluation of the newsletter was based on the following
criteria: lay-out, pictures and illustrations, typography, colors and content.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
The results of the evaluation were with different numerical value. However, overall,
the results were equivalent to very good remarks.
The lay-out gained very good rating in terms of arrangement of the elements;
creativity in lay-outing; white spaces; design which were easily identified as the
newsletters identity or trademark; and size of the newsletter.
Pictures and illustrations in terms of attractiveness; appropriateness of size; easy
identification of the picture and graphics; relevance; design; presence of labels; and clarity
of message were also acceptable to the respondents. The design of the pictures to stimulate
interest got the lowest score basing from the responses of the respondents.
Typography in terms of appropriateness of font style and font size, headings and
column breaks were rated very good by the respondents.
Likewise, the colors in terms of the background, combination, contrast and
harmony were also rated very good.
Very good remarks were also gained for the overall quality of the information;
articles under the fourfold functions of the university; information on BSU activities;
relevance; and conciseness of information.
Although the results got very good remarks, there were points for improvement
under the visual design, content, time and frequency of publication enumerated by the
respondents.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
Conclusions
Based on the findings the following conclusions were drawn.
1. Respondents were dominated usually by females who came from different
colleges and offices.
2. The number of articles published is affected by the events and activities of the
university.
3. In relation to the fourfold functions of the university, Shamag focuses more on
Instruction.
4. Straight news is the common format used by the publication.
5. The newsletter often used pictures while seldom includes illustrations.
6. Shamag newsletter is generally acceptable to its intended audience; however, it
needs further improvement.
Recommendations
Based on the summary and conclusions, the recommendations were derived.
1. The newsletter should add more articles.
2. Articles should be distributed under the fourfold function of the university.
3. The newsletter should replace some pictures with illustrations; and should not
overcrowd a page with pictures.
4. To avoid overcrowding of the pictures, the newsletter should choose only the
important pictures to publish.
5. The newsletter may improve the quality of its presentation in terms of visual
design and content.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
6. The newsletter should be distributed on time and all offices should have at least
one copy each.
7. A study on other issues of Shamag should be conducted to further identify the
needs of the readers.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
LITERATURE CITED
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based Community Newspapers. BSU, La Trinidad, Benguet. P. 16.
CRASSWELLER, A. 2011. Newspapers: Reader-Created or Newspaper-Curated?
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FETALVERO, E. G. 2003. Lay-outing a Newspaper. Retrieved July 21, 2011 from
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FOLKERTS, J. and S. LACY. 2004. The Media in your Life: An Introduction to Mass
Communication. Third Edition. United States of America: Pearson Education
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21, 2011 from
http://www.graphic-arts-schools.com/articles/graphic_design_newspaper.php
GEORGII, C. 2009. Qualities of Successful Print Newsletters. Retrieved November 28,
2011 from
http://www.helium.com/items/678019-qualties-of-successful-print-newsletters?page=2
HARRIS, C. R. and P. M. LESTER. 2002. Visual Journalism: A Guide for New Media
Professionals. 75 Arlington street, Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon: A
Pearson Education Company. Pp. 90-92, 165, 173, 185.
HOPKINSON, A. and R. LENMAN. n. d. Photo-essay. Retrieved March 05, 2012 from
http://www.answers.com/topic/photo-essay
JERZ, G. D. 1999. Brief Analysis of a News Feature. Retrieved March o5, 2011 from
http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/journalism/feature.html
LISTINO, L. C. 2003. Content Analysis on the Coverage of Baguio Midland Courier and
Zigzag Weekly on the 2001 Carrot Seed Controversy. Undergraduate Thesis. BSU,
La Trinidad, Benguet. P. 28.
MALINAO, A. 1997. Journalism for Filipinos. Quezon City: Kalayaan Press Marketing.
Pp. 58-276.
MASLOG, C. 1988. Production of Community Newspaper. College of Agriculture, UPLB,
Laguna, Philippines. Pp. 1-12.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
MULA, L. F. G. 2004. Content Analysis on Articles of Women Portrayal in Two Selected
Community Newspapers in Baguio City. March 2004. Undergraduate Thesis.
Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet. P. 10.
NAIR, T. 2011. Types of articles. Retrieved March 05, 2012 from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-articles.html
NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION. COM. 2011. What is a Photo-essay? Retrieved March
05, 2012 from http://www.esiponline.org/classroom /writing/photoessays.html
PARKER, R. C. n. d. 12 Most Common Newsletter Design Mistakes. Retrieved July 26,
2011
from
http://www.graphic_design.com/DTG/Design/newsletter_mistakes/index.html
PETTERSON, R. 2010. It Depends: ID – Principles and Guidelines. Retrieved July 27,
2011 from http://www.iiid.net/PDFs/ItDepends.pdf
PHOTOSECRETS PUBLISHING. 1997. Photography: What makes a great shot.
Retrieved January 29, 2012 from http://www.photosecrets.com.p01.html
RAJAN, C. V. 2009. Qualities of Successful Print Newsletters. Retrieved November 16,
2011
from
http://www.helium.com/items/1232227-qualties-of-successful-print-newsletters
RAMIREZ, J. 1989. Philippine Journalism Handbook. Third edition. Manila: National
Bookstore. Pp. 77-80.
ROGERS, T. n. d. five Tips for Producing Great News Features. Retrieved January 18,
2012 from
http://journalism.about.com/Five-Tips-For-Producing-Great-News-Features.html
SHAMAG. 2011. Profile of Shamag. BSU Newsletter. XIV: 10(2)
SHAMSI, J. 2005. Journalism: The News. Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi: Anmol
Publications Pvt. Ltd. 4374/4B. Pp. 145, 163-167.
SUMMERS, K. 2000. Elements of Effective Visual Design. Retrieved January 18, 2012
from http://iat.ubalt.edu/courses/old/pbds756.185_Sp02/visual_design_-ch_pdf.
SYED, M. H. 2006. Mass Media and Journalism. Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi:
Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd. 4374/4B. Pp. 199, 241-243.
TABANGCURA, J. 2011. Profile of Shamag. (Personal Interview).
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http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/7-page-design/3-visual-design.html
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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WHITE, B. n. d. Print Newsletter Layout and Design Tips. Retrieved October 20, 2011
from
http://newsletter.lifetips.com/cat/8185/print-newsletter-layout-and-design/index.html
WISEGEEK. COM. n. d. Typography. Retrieved July 27, 2011 from
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-typography.htm
YOURDICTIONARY. COM. n. d. Newsletter. Retrieved November 28, 2011 from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/newsletter
YOURDICTIONARY. COM. n. d. Opinion. Retrieved January 18, 2012, 2011 from
http://www.yourdictionary.com/newsletter
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. April 2012. Evaluation of the Benguet State
University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011 Issues. Benguet State University,
La Trinidad, Benguet.
Adviser: Igrelyn P. Pinos-an, BSc
ABSTRACT
The study was conducted to evaluate Shamag, the official publication of Benguet
State University.
Specifically, the study determined the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents; content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics
covered, treatment, placement of articles, and placement of pictures and illustrations.
Likewise, it evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of lay-out, pictures and
illustrations, typography, color and content; and, collected suggestions from the
respondents for the improvement of Shamag.
Majority of the respondents were females. More than half of them were teaching
employees. Most of them were MS graduates; most were also in service at BSU from one
to 10 years; and almost all of them were above 20 years old but below 60 years of age.
They were from the different offices, colleges and departments.
The articles, pictures and illustrations were analyzed based on the fourfold function
of the Benguet State University – Research, Extension, Instruction and Production. Articles
which did not fall under the enumerated functions were categorized under No Category.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
There were 39 total articles for the five issues where February and May had the
highest numbers of articles published. Although December and January were merged into
one issue, its issue published the lowest number of articles.
Moreover, most of the articles published in the five issues were under the
Instruction function. It was noted that Extension and No Category had the same number of
articles. In addition, there were more articles under the No Category than articles under the
Research and Production functions. The lowest numbers of articles published were under
Research.
In terms of treatment, more than half of the articles were presented as straight news.
Majority of the news-feature articles were under Research and Extension. There were three
photo-essays and two announcements published.
Out of six articles placed in the front page, five stories were under Instruction. On
the other hand one front page article was under No Category.
There were total of 110 pictures and illustrations in the five issues. In relation to
the number of articles, most of the pictures and illustrations also were under the Instruction.
However, there were more pictures under the No Category than the other three functions
of the university. Research has the least number of pictures.
Further, the evaluation of the newsletter was based on the following characteristics:
lay-out, pictures and graphics, typography, colors and content.
The lay-out gained very good rating in terms of arrangement of the elements;
creativity in lay-outing; white spaces; design which were easily identified as the
newsletters identity or trademark; and size of the newsletter.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
Pictures and illustrations in terms of attractiveness; appropriateness of size; easy
identification of the picture and illustrations; relevance; design; presence of labels; and
clarity of message were also acceptable to the respondents. The design of the pictures to
stimulate interest got the lowest score basing from the responses of the respondents.
Typography in terms of appropriateness of font style and font size, headings and
column breaks were rated very good by the respondents.
Likewise, the colors in terms of the background, combination, contrast and
harmony were also rated very good.
Finally, very good remarks were also gained for the overall quality of the
information; articles under the fourfold functions of the university; information on BSU
activities; relevance of information; and conciseness of information.
Although the results got very good remarks, there were points for improvement
under the visual design, content, time and frequency of publication enumerated by the
respondents.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Information is knowledge. Without information, one may not update one’s self, on
what happens around. Day to day happenings including political, social, economic or of
any other kind, offer information.
In Benguet State University (BSU), one way of disseminating information to the
employees is through Shamag, the university's official publication which is published
monthly. It is accessible in print copies distributed by the University Public Affairs Office
(UPAO) and in digital copies uploaded in the University website www.bsu.edu.ph.
Shamag, an Ibaloi term that means news, is the official publication of Benguet State
University. It functions as the University’s mouthpiece for its accomplishments and is
likewise a communication tool among BSU constituents. It started as the MSAC Newsletter
in the 1970’s to meet one of the requirements of then, the Department of Education, for a
college to be elevated into a university. Later, it became the BSU Newsletter and eventually
renamed to Shamag in 2001 (Shamag, 2011).
According to Tabangcura (2011), Shamag is published in tabloid size with eight
pages. The newsletter uses yellow and green shades, as background colors in its lay-out
and letterhead adhering to BSU’s official colors. The articles are published in English but
direct quotations in other languages are presented as is only that they are italized.
There is no set number of articles to be published in an issue. The number of articles
depends on the space of eight pages. In the case that there are articles not enough to fit the
pages, the staff prioritizes the most significant issues. University wide activities or issues
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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that concern the whole university is the most priority followed by college based to
department based issues.
The current Editors-in-Chief during the time of the study are Mr. Samuel S. Poliden
and Ms. Grace T. Bengwayan while Ms. Jennyline S. Tabangcura is the lay-out artist, the
associate editor and one of the writers.
The consideration on the visual design, content and reading preferences of the
audience become important in publishing print newspapers. Most people look at the visual
characteristics of a paper like colors and pictures. Before they begin to read newspapers,
people judge the value of the publication’s ideas by its design. Therefore, the readers must
be attracted to the paper in order for them to read its content. Also, there should be accurate
and relevant information to what the audience read since every publication is designed to
meet the needs of its readers.
Thus, newsletters should create design that can positively identify the paper. Print
publications have the advantage of creating a design based on the capabilities of the
publisher with regards to fonts, lay-out, photos and overall size of the publication. Every
paper has its own style which affects the readability of the paper. Thus, each style should
adopt or attain to guidelines of having excellent application of the elements of visual design
and; selection and presentation of content which are necessary for the audience.
For BSU, the main readers of the printed Shamag are the employees. Visitors or
guest and students are also readers of the newsletter. The evaluation of the newsletter is
therefore important to know how well the readers' needs are met. The evaluation may also
help for improvement of the newsletter. This will enable the users to keep reading and be
updated of the events.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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Statement of the Problem
The study answered the following questions:
1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents?
2. What is the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of the following?
a. issues or topics
b. treatment of articles
c. placement of articles
d. placement of pictures and illustrations
3. How is the presentation of the newsletter in terms of the following?
a. lay-out
b. pictures and illustrations
c. typography
d. colors
e. content
4. What are the suggestions of the respondents for the improvement of Shamag?
Objectives of the Study
Generally, the study evaluated Shamag.
Specifically, the study:
1. determined the socio-demographic profile of the respondents;
2. content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of the following:
a. issues or topics
b. treatment of articles
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
c. placement of articles
d. placement of pictures and illustrations
4. evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of the following:
a. lay-out
b. pictures and illustrations
c. typography
d. colors
e. content
3. solicited suggestions from the respondents for the improvement of Shamag
Importance of the Study
The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the printed Shamag. It will provide
the staff of the publication idea or insights if the services and information meet the needs
of the intended audience. It served as an avenue for the Shamag readers to share their
suggestions and ask what information they 'need' from the publication.
The results may be used by Shamag and other publications of the school such as
the students’ publications as guide in maintaining or improving their newsletter. In
addition, the study may be used as reference by students who want to conduct similar
research.
Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study focused on the evaluation of Shamag distributed in print from December
2010 to May 2011. It content analyzed nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of topics or
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
Issues | PANGANIBAN, APRIL D. APRIL 2012
issues covered, treatment of articles, placement of articles and placement of pictures and
illustrations.
For evaluation, the study dwelled on the newsletter’s presentation in terms of lay-
out, pictures and illustrations, typography, colors and content. Evaluation of the newsletter
was done by employees of BSU - La Trinidad who answered the questionnaire formulated
by the researcher.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Newsletter
Newsletter, according to Freedictionary. com, is also called news-sheet, a printed
periodical bulletin circulated to members of a group; report or open letter giving informal
or confidential news of interest to a special group. As defined in Yourdictionary. com,
newsletter is a bulletin issued regularly to subscribers, employees, or members of an
organization group, containing news, a calendar of upcoming events and others.
Article Treatment
Article treatment refers to the categories created according to style of presentation
and the topics discussed (Listino, 2003).
According to Nair (2011), before writing an article the writer needs to decide on a
topic that in more cases than one is related to a news event. Articles can be categorized
according to the medium for which they are written. So, you can have articles that are
written for a newspaper, which are known as straight news articles. Other than this main
type, there are articles written for magazines, academic papers, journals, websites, blogs,
encyclopedias, articles written specifically for marketing purposes, etc.
The different ways in which articles are presented or categorized are given below.
Straight News. Articles that consist of facts given straight without embellishment
with its main aim which is to inform are straight news. It uses the summary lead and is
written using the inverted pyramid structure.
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According to Mula (2004), the characteristics of news stories may partly explain
why most published articles were news articles. News is short, fresh, direct and presents
issues in descending importance.
News-Feature. A news-feature article is an article that is about "softer" news
(Newspaper in Education, 2011). Mula (2004) added that news-feature is timely, usually
long and presents issues descriptively. Also, in 1999, Jerz defined news-feature as a human
interest story that is not closely tied to a recent news event.
Rogers (n. d.), stated that a news feature is a kind of feature story that focuses on a
straight news topic. News features combine a featurey writing style with straight news
reporting. He further stated that a writer needs to find a narrow, focused topic that can be
covered reasonably well in the space of a 1,500-word news feature. News-features tackle
important topics but they're still like any other kind of feature - they're people stories. That
means real people in the stories will bring the topic discussed to life.
News-features need people, but they also need facts. At some point every news-
feature needs an expert to talk about the issue being discussed. Experts lend news-features
authority and credibility.
Opinion. Opinions are not considered news stories. An opinion is a writer’s outlook
or judgment based from an event. Yourdictionary. Com defined opinion as a belief based
on experience and on seeing certain facts and made after a careful study. It is a judgment
about a person, a thing or an event.
According to Newspaper in Education. com (2011), an opinion article may come
in editorial, column and letter to the editor or essay contributions from the readers.
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Editorial is an article that contains the writer's opinion. Editorials are usually run
all together on a specific page of the paper and focus on current events. On the other hand,
a column is an article written by the same person on a regular basis. A columnist (the writer
of the column) writes about subjects of interest to him/her, current events or community
happenings.
Contributions from the readers such as the Letter to the Editor also contain opinion
from the sender. It is one way of expressing their ideas and judgments in a certain issue.
Photo-essay. The word essay comes from the French term "to try." Writers often
use the essay form to try out new ideas or explore other types of new territory. The word
photo refers to the use of photographs rather than drawings or paintings.
Commonly, photographs and illustrations can support text, but in photo-essays that
relationship is often reversed; the photographs lead the text. In photo-essays, you'll likely
notice the photographs first. A photo-essay is a series of photographs that conveys a story,
usually accompanied by a written text and published as a book or special feature in a
periodical.
According to Newspaper in Education. com (2011), the photos in a photo-essay are
chosen with the same care and precision with which the writer chooses the words. The
photos to be used are high quality and are featured prominently in the layout. Each
photograph contains a wealth of information and may generate an equivalent wealth of
questions and wonderings before the reader even approaches the text. Rather than merely
providing a caption to the photographs, writers of photo-essays are often responding in
depth to what the photographs make them feel or wonder.
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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A photo-essay (or photographic essay) is a set or series of photographs that are
intended tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. A photo essay will often
show pictures in deep emotional stages. Photo essays range from purely photographic
works to photographs with captions or small notes to full text essays with a few or many
accompanying photographs. Photo essays can be sequential in nature, intended to be
viewed in a particular order, or they may consist of non-ordered photographs which may
be viewed all at once or in an order chosen by the viewer (Hopkinson and Lenman, n. d.).
Announcement. According to the Freedictionary. com, an announcement is a public
statement; a brief item or advertisement, as in a newspaper or a formal printed or written
invitation.
In 2011, Nair stated that announcement may be one category of writing articles.
Most local newspapers, especially newsletters include announcement which may be an
agreement, a law or a line-up of upcoming activities.
There are certain aspects that characterize a newspaper article. These distinguishing
features need to be considered before writing about a topic in order to have a well structured
article.
Placement of Articles, Pictures and Illustrations
Newspapers including newsletters and magazines have three parts – the front page,
inside pages and back pages. Malinao (1997) said that most newspapers are aimed at a
broad spectrum of readers, usually geographically defined. He added that it is important to
know the placements of the articles so that it would be easier to find articles the readers are
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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looking for. Also, placements separate the different kinds of news articles, either featured
news, straight news or news feature.
Images reinforces each person’s instinctive “knowledge” that news pictures don’t
lie, that pictures are worth a thousand words, and that seeing is indeed believing (Harris
and Lester, 2002). Generally pictures are included as supplement to the articles. Since they
are worth a thousand words, pictures and illustrations are used to narrate and describe an
event which may not be written as article. Other newspapers use pictures and illustrations
as fillers to avoid too much white space.
Characteristics of an Excellent Newsletter
An excellent newsletter is very well organized and easy to read; exceptionally
attractive and visually appealing to the reader or person; and, contains all necessary
required elements.
According to Folkerts and Lacy (2004), publishers should find out what readers
would read and what attracts them to newspapers. Thus, the visual quality and contents are
essential in an excellent newsletter.
An excellent newsletter appropriately executes and presents the following
elements:
Lay-out. Lay-out is the make-up or the window dressing of a page. It is consists
with the arrangement of illustrations, texts and graphics on a page which is to be printed
including the selection of font styles, sizes and colors. Laying out a page is a matter of
personal taste. There are no criteria set for it. Therefore, the staff may experiment freely on
page make-up until they get the pattern acceptable to them (Fetalvero, 2003).
Evaluation of the Benguet State University’s Shamag from December 2010 to May 2011
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According to White (n. d.), lay-out is the term used to describe a sketch or drawing
of the newsletter before any work has begun. By using a lay-out, you can begin to visualize
the "look" of your newsletter.
Shamsi (2005) added that lay-out is the arrangement of headlines, text, artwork and
white space on a page or pages. Lay-out could be static or dynamic. If one can predict the
lay-out of tomorrow's page today because it has been similar, with minor variations, the
lay-out is called static. It is dynamic when nobody can predict what it will be. The designer
is attempting to respond dynamically to the news.
Factors of an Excellent Layout
1. Proportion (Balance). Balance is the arrangement of elements in a composition
to achieve equilibrium or a sense of equally distributed weigh or proportion (Harris and
Lester, 2002). The proportion deals with the ratio of one part to another and of the parts to
the whole. Balance helps determine the sizes and arrangement of the individual parts of
lay-out (Fetalvero, 2003).
2. Unity (Harmony). Harmony is the agreement between parts. The content of every
page must blend as a harmonious unit. No one part of the page should overshadow another.
The headlines should complement each other and the pictures should not distract the eyes
too much (Fetalvero, 2003).
In 2002, Harris and Lester stated that harmony is the creation of visual order or
unity. A harmonious composition is one which all of the elements relate to one another or
work in a complementary way. Harmony is achieved when there is a clear sense of visual
style and when the use of color, typography and image communicates the same message.
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Harmony means that there is general agreement between the message and its presentation.
All of the visual elements work comfortably together in a harmonious lay-out.
3. Emphasis. According to Fetalvero (2003), emphasis gives proper importance to
the parts and to the whole. It involves the differentiation between the more important and
the less important.
Emphasis influences the choices of fonts, colors and size. The thing that stands out
most gets noticed first.
4. Rhythm. Harris and Lester (2002) defined rhythm as the regular pattern of visual
elements created through the repetition and alignment of form such as line, pattern, texture,
color, or shape. It offers a sense of visual order. Through the repetition of the elements,
rhythm creates a clear sense of movement or direction. It is a powerful tool for establishing
a sequence of information that guides the viewer through a lay-out. Rhythm contains
movement that helps the reader access content.
5. Space. According to Parker (n. d.), space is one way to add visual impact to the
newsletter, separating them from competition and making them easier to read.
Space in visual design is an area defined by visual elements. It is the area in which
the visual elements reside. It is also the area between and among visual elements and media.
Space defines the boundaries of the design. White space is often described as the space
surrounding elements within a composition. It is the area that does not contain visual
elements – images or text – and key to the success of the design (Harris and Lester, 2002).
White space is used to break up chunks of texts into shorter paragraphs and link to
more in-depth content.
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As stated by Fetalvero (2003), lay-outing is a skill as important as any journalism
skills. It can be learned better through practice. Layout does so much good to newspapers
and newsletters because it gives prominence to the news in proportion to its importance; it
makes the pages appear attractive; it gives the paper a personality or individuality of its
own; and it makes the different contents easy to find and read.
Syed (2006) added that the lay-out of a page is very important in the production of
a good newspaper or newsletter. The lay-out should be such that the greatest amount of
information is printed on a page to give variety. But, this may be kept in mind that it should
not create any confusion. A page should give the look of being clean and neat from the top
to the bottom.
No amount of beautiful stories and fresh news can salvage a poor layout. “First
impression lasts”. However good the staff writers are, if the layout artist lacks knowledge
on how they would present their works as a whole, then the outcome is below satisfaction.
Pictures and Illustrations. Good pictures speak for themselves. The picture should
have information related to the story with which it is to be used. The words with the picture
should match. The reader must be told what, where, when and why of the photograph
(Shamsi, 2005).
Shamsi further discussed that many photographers of international argue that a
good photograph should never undergo cropping. But it may be true of only excellent news
photograph capturing decisive moments. Most of the photographs can be improved by
cropping to show emphasis on the story and what is in the picture. The shape of the picture
is decided by the story content.
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While determining the size of a picture, emphasis should be on legibility and
impact. It is pointless to give a photograph if it is printed so small that the relevant detail
is lost. Legibility determines the minimum size of the picture and maximum has to be
determined by the availability of space, competition from other news pictures or stories.
The font size should match the size of the newsletter.
According to Folkerts and Lacy (2004), photojournalism, which integrates words
and photographs attempts to explain people's behavior and the nature of the world. It is
capable of powerfully affecting an audience's interpretation of an event and often defines
the public memory. People's memories of the September 11, 2001, will forever be defined
by the photograph of fire-fighters raising the flag at the site of the World Trade Center. It
opens up arenas of action and images that people would otherwise never see.
Georgii (2009) added that good graphics are essential to a vibrant and successful
newsletter. The graphics on each page should represent well the stories and items on that
page.
The primary task of graphic design is to create a strong, consistent visual hierarchy
in which important elements are emphasized and content is organized logically and
predictably. Graphic design is visual information management, using the tools of page
layout, typography, and illustration to lead the reader’s eye through the page. Readers first
see pages as large masses of shape and color, with foreground elements contrasting against
the background field. Then they begin to pick out specific information, first from graphics
if they are present, and only after this do they start parsing the harder medium of text and
begin to read individual words and phrases (Webstyleguide. com, n. d.).
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Although headlines are what get readers attention, the layout of the paper, graphics
and photographs are important to keep a reader’s attention. Without the use of illustrations,
a paper would be a jumble of words that can create monotony and boredom for the reader
(Graphic arts schools. com, n. d.).
Typography. Typography, as defined in Wisegeek. com, refers to the arrangement
of text on a page, and appears in some form or another in all instances of written
communication. Depending on the purpose, typography can be used for optimum
readability, impact, or an artistic statement. Quality typography can make a big difference
in communications, because it can impact the way the reader sees and feels about the topic
being discussed. At the most basic, typography is a combination of font, size, spacing, and
color.
A font of type is a collection of letters, numbers and other devices such as
punctuation marks and others, all of the same character and belonging to the same family.
A family of type is a collection of fonts and series all of the same basic design, but in
different sizes and weights or widths.
Sometimes, to give importance to the beginning of a news story, the introduction is
set in a larger font size than the story that follows it (Syed, 2006).
According to Harris and Lester (2002), typography clarifies, illuminate and
augment content. It can help or hinder the process of reading. The integration of typography
and the other elements of design (color, image, space and so on) can create powerful and
effective messages. Typography is also tied to the technology for which it was created and
the culture from which it was designed.
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Typography has tremendous expressive potential. The selection of the type should
reinforce the message through selection that carefully considers the visual personality of
the typeface.
Font type can be elegant or casual; delicate or strong. It can shout or whisper. It can
have cultural identity. Type can suggest an era or a feeling of formality. Type can suggest
a particular place and time. It can be simple or complex.
The caption typography should be different from the adjacent reading text, usually
in bolder type and a size bigger. The differences in font style and size enhance and break a
continuous part. In captions of more than one line, the writer should try to aim at even lines,
giving instructions to square or equalise the line (Syed, 2006).
Color. It is important to choose color combinations that work well together to set
the tone (personality) of your newsletter. You do not want to use bright primary colors on
a business newsletter, any more than you would want to use a tinted maroon and grey on a
daycare piece.
Color is used to emphasize or to play something down; show differences or
similarities and help readers recall information and to find things. Light or a dark
background colors should be appropriate to the content, and use a color with good contrast
for the figure or text. Make sure that differences between colors are clear and obvious.
Most papers use bold and bright colors to get attention. Color coding is used to
improve attention and enhance attention to a visual message. Consider that many people
are color blind (Petterson, 2010).
According to White (n. d.), color adds creativity and visual attraction to the
newsletter. However, the publication should limit the numbers of colors used.
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Content. Newsletters should ideally perform the role of the three primary functions
that are normally attributed to news and television media: to educate, to inform and to
entertain. But, the thrust of a newsletter is more to inform. Education and entertainment
are secondary and they help in enthusing the recipient to read it fully through (Rajan, 2009).
According to Crassweller (2011), the high level of “print only” readership by all
age groups demonstrates the value of the printed product. So, is it the platform for delivery
that is important? Is it the content? Or is it how the content is delivered?
Breaking news aside, the strength of newspapers is the editor’s ability to aggregate
and cull all the noise of the world’s events into a neat package for the reader. Most readers
do not have the time or interest to separate the wheat from the chaff; they expect their news
brands to perform that task for them.
The newsletter should give information that could be very useful for the potential
reader on the related field. The entertainment element in the newsletter should encourage
readers' involvement and participation. They may include quizzes, discount coupons,
profile of a specific and important customer, jokes, cartoons, reward offers for suggestions
and so on.
Needless to mention, the newsletter should contain the logo, title and address, e-
mail, phone and details of contact person or offices, in case the reader wants to get in touch.
The content of a newsletter depends on the time of its coverage. According to
Georgii (2009), aside from the visual and content importance of a newsletter, it should be
published and distributed on a regular basis. It can be once a week, every two weeks, once
a month, or quarterly. But it is absolutely essential that the newsletter is timely and comes
out on a regular basis.
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Likewise, the publisher of the newsletter should be able to provide copies to all
offices or agency divisions.
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METHODOLOGY
Locale and Time of the Study
The study was conducted at the Benguet State University (BSU) - main campus. It
was identified as the area of the study since the research evaluated Shamag - the official
publication of the said university. BSU is five to six kilometres away from Baguio City. It
is located along Km 5 to Km. 6, La Trinidad, Benguet and has a total land area of 658.6250
hectares.
The university covers Research, Extension, Instruction and Production as its
fourfold function. It has nine undergraduate colleges and has a Graduate School and Open
University which offers masteral and doctorate courses. It has two other campuses, the
Bokod and Bugias campus.
Benguet State University is offering undergraduate courses and graduate courses to
with the primary purpose of providing courses in arts, sciences, humanities and
professional fields in agriculture, natural sciences, technology and other technical and
professional courses as the Board of Regents may determine and deem proper. It shall
promote research, extension, agribusiness, advanced studies and progressive leadership in
its field of specialization.
The BSU – main campus has a total 610 employees as of November, 2011.
The study was conducted from December 2011 to February 2012.
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Respondents of the Study
Since Shamag is intended for the BSU employees, they were chosen to evaluate the
newsletter. There were 140 respondents – 77 teaching and 63 non-teaching employees of
BSU-La Trinidad campus.
All respondents were chosen through accidental sampling. Each of them were
readers of Shamag.
Subject of the Study
The newsletter has a size of 12” x 9”. It has 8 pages and seldom adds two pages as
insertions. Under the study, only the April issue had an additional inserted page.
The newsletter front page contains the masthead of the newsletter which included
the BSU logo, website and address.
The background colors used were combination of yellow and green shades. The
color of the font is black. Colored pictures were used in the front and back pages while the
pictures in the inside pages are in gray scale. The number of columns varies from one to
three columns.
Data Collection
Shamag newsletter from December 2010 to May 2011 issues were used for the
study. The researcher formulated a coding instrument based on the instrument used by
previous Development Communication researchers, Listino and Kis-ing which was used
for the content analysis.
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For the evaluation, survey questionnaires were distributed to the respondents in the
different offices. For recall purposes, copies of these issues were shown to the respondents.
Data Gathered
The data gathered were the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, coded
information on the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics, treatment of
articles, placement of articles; and placement of pictures and illustrations.
The evaluation on the presentation of Shamag in terms of lay-out, pictures and
graphics, typography, colors and content were also gathered as well as suggestions of the
respondents for the improvement of the publication.
Data Analysis
The data collected were tabulated using percentage and frequency counts, analyzed
and consolidated through descriptive statistics.
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SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study was conducted to evaluate the Shamag newsletter of Benguet State
University, La Trinidad, Benguet.
Specifically, the study determined the socio-demographic profile of the
respondents; content analyzed the nature of coverage of Shamag in terms of issues or topics
covered, treatment, placement of articles, and placement of pictures and illustrations.
Likewise, it evaluated the presentation of the newsletter in terms of lay-out, pictures and
graphics, typography, colors and content; and, collected suggestions from the respondents
for the improvement of Shamag.
The study was conducted from December 2011 to February 2012 using an
evaluation questionnaire and a coding sheet.
For the socio-demographic profile of the respondents, majority were female. More
than half of them were teaching employees. Aside from that, most of them were MS
graduates; most were in service at BSU from one to 10 years; and almost all of them were
above 20 years old but below 60 years of age. They were from the different colleges,
departments and offices in the university.
The articles, pictures and illustrations were analyzed based on the fourfold
functions of Benguet State University – Research, Extension, Instruction and Production.
Articles which did not fall under the enumerated functions were categorized under No
Category.
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There were 39 total articles for the five issues where February and May had the
highest numbers of articles published (9 articles each). Although December and January
articles were merged into one issue, its issue published the lowest number of articles.
The number of articles published per issue ranged from six to nine.
Most of the articles published in the five issues were under the Instruction function.
It was noted that Extension and No Category had the same number of articles. Moreover,
there were more articles under No Category than articles under the Research and
Production functions. Research had the lowest articles published with only two articles.
In terms of treatment, more than half of the articles were presented as straight news.
Majority of the news-feature articles were under Research and Extension. There were four
opinion, three photo-essay and two announcement published.
Out of six articles placed in the front page, five stories were under Instruction and
the other one was under No Category.
Four of the five issues published one article each on the front page while one issue
published two articles on its front page.
In terms of pictures and illustrations, there were total of 110 pictures and
illustrations in the five issues. Like in the number of articles, most of the pictures and
illustrations also were under the Instruction category. However, there were more pictures
under No Category than the other three functions of the university. Research has the least
number of pictures.
On the other hand, the evaluation of the newsletter was based on the following
criteria: lay-out, pictures and illustrations, typography, colors and content.
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The results of the evaluation were with different numerical value. However, overall,
the results were equivalent to very good remarks.
The lay-out gained very good rating in terms of arrangement of the elements;
creativity in lay-outing; white spaces; design which were easily identified as the
newsletters identity or trademark; and size of the newsletter.
Pictures and illustrations in terms of attractiveness; appropriateness of size; easy
identification of the picture and graphics; relevance; design; presence of labels; and clarity
of message were also acceptable to the respondents. The design of the pictures to stimulate
interest got the lowest score basing from the responses of the respondents.
Typography in terms of appropriateness of font style and font size, headings and
column breaks were rated very good by the respondents.
Likewise, the colors in terms of the background, combination, contrast and
harmony were also rated very good.
Very good remarks were also gained for the overall quality of the information;
articles under the fourfold functions of the university; information on BSU activities;
relevance; and conciseness of information.
Although the results got very good remarks, there were points for improvement
under the visual design, content, time and frequency of publication enumerated by the
respondents.
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Conclusions
Based on the findings the following conclusions were drawn.
1. Respondents were dominated usually by females who came from different
colleges and offices.
2. The number of articles published is affected by the events and activities of the
university.
3. In relation to the fourfold functions of the university, Shamag focuses more on
Instruction.
4. Straight news is the common format used by the publication.
5. The newsletter often used pictures while seldom includes illustrations.
6. Shamag newsletter is generally acceptable to its intended audience; however, it
needs further improvement.
Recommendations
Based on the summary and conclusions, the recommendations were derived.
1. The newsletter should add more articles.
2. Articles should be distributed under the fourfold function of the university.
3. The newsletter should replace some pictures with illustrations; and should not
overcrowd a page with pictures.
4. To avoid overcrowding of the pictures, the newsletter should choose only the
important pictures to publish.
5. The newsletter may improve the quality of its presentation in terms of visual
design and content.
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6. The newsletter should be distributed on time and all offices should have at least
one copy each.
7. A study on other issues of Shamag should be conducted to further identify the
needs of the readers.
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