UNAIR NEWS – The Airlangga Institute of Indian Ocean Crossroads (AIIOC) organized a two-day workshop on Science Communication for Planetary Health, running from Thursday to Friday (November 7-8, 2024). Held at the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) on UNAIR’s MERR-C Campus, the event brought together journalists and scholars for an intensive training session.
The workshop was a collaborative effort among AIIOC and several international partners, including the Australia-Indonesian Institute, the University of Sydney’s Southeast Asia Centre, and the Society of Indonesian Science Journalists. Its objective was to bolster journalists’ ability to convey scientific information to the public in a clear, accessible manner.
“This program helps journalists improve their reporting by integrating scientific depth while making it easily understandable to the public,” explained AIIOC Director Lina Puryanti, SS, MHum, PhD.
Bridging knowledge gaps
AIIOC is an interdisciplinary institution that fosters cross-faculty collaboration within UNAIR. AIIOC operates with the philosophy of knowledge production, emphasizing partnerships between universities and communities. According to Lina, this collaboration is essential to building stronger communication bridges between academia and the press.
“Journalists tend to have broad yet general understanding, while we as academics delve deeply into specific details but within a narrower scope. Through this initiative, we’re attempting to bridge this gap and facilitate knowledge transfer to the public via media,” Lina added.
Puryanti clarified that the training was not intended to question the journalists’ professional expertise. Rather, it aimed to provide additional insights on how to produce scientifically robust news content. “This workshop trains journalists to improve their skills in conveying scientific information. It’s not a reflection of any lack of experience,” she added.
Science Journalism
In addition to journalists, the workshop included academics and science communication experts. Participants examined topics on planetary health and ethical challenges related to open data in Indonesia’s health and environmental sectors. The sessions also featured interdisciplinary discussions from fields like History, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Economy, Public Health, Science, and Technology.
Through this training, journalists are envisioned as university partners in delivering relevant scientific information to the public. This initiative represents a concrete step by AIIOC and UNAIR toward supporting transparency and deepening connections between academia and the press.
The workshop not only broadened journalists’ perspectives but also reaffirmed AIIOC’s commitment to fostering inclusive science communication. “This collaboration is truly valuable, bringing together AIIOC, international institutions, and the press,” Lina concluded.
Author: Anggun Latifatunisa
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
