The UGM leadership held a gathering and iftar with representatives of Yogyakarta media at the UGM Central Building on Thursday afternoon (Apr. 4) to strengthen cooperation between UGM and media personnel.
The UGM Rector, Professor Ova Emilia, and the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs, Community Service, and Alumni, Dr. Arie Sujito, attended the event. Also in attendance were members of the Board of Trustees, Academic Senate, Professorial Board, Audit Committee, media leaders, journalists, and the UGM Public Relations, News, and Protocol Team.
The event was filled with friendly interactions between UGM leadership and journalists. Various proposals and hopes from journalists regarding UGM were discussed during the event.
Representing the editorial leadership, Fernan Rahadi, Head of the DIY-Central Java Republika Bureau, expressed appreciation to UGM for organizing the gathering and iftar with journalists from Fortakgama.
He mentioned that digital disruption has significantly impacted the media industry. Therefore, he strongly emphasized the necessity of maintaining and developing Penta helix collaboration as a concept for future collaboration.
“Collaboration is between government, business sectors, civil society, academia, and mass media. With this collaboration, we can effectively navigate this transition and digital disruption era,” he said.
He mentioned that the current state of the media business is very challenging and concerning. Many media outlets have closed their businesses, leading to the unemployment of journalists.
“It is concerning because the media is truly a pillar of democracy. When one of these pillars collapses, it can be dangerous for the democratic process. Especially for journalists who are at the forefront of the media industry, that’s why I invite UGM as one of the Penta helix pillars to always improve collaboration with the media,” he expressed.
Rector Ova Emilia conveyed her gratitude to the journalists affiliated with Fortakgama. She referred to UGM as a pillar and a source of knowledge with a wealth of information. Therefore, the relationship should ideally be mutually beneficial.
“We need the role of mass media. We have new things that we want to provide to society for greater benefit. Similarly, journalists need information, clarification, and confirmation from educational institutions,” she said.
She hoped the relationship between UGM and journalists would be based on mutual trust to provide the best for the nation, not just for UGM’s interests alone or vice versa.
UGM also aims to provide communication spaces as forums that can be utilized collectively. The Pojok Bulaksumur hangout spot, research coverage press conferences, and other joint coverages exist.
“I believe that forums like these also bring color and substance to mass media, and the most exciting part is the coverage of Community Service Programs (KKN). Because we invite journalists to see the role of these students in building communities in remote villages in this country,” she explained.
Heri Purnomo, one of Jogja TV’s editorial leaders who attended the event, appreciated the partnership between UGM and Jogja TV over the years. In line with other journalists’ opinions, he acknowledged the ease of obtaining sources from UGM.
He was also pleased because, in recent years, students from the Javanese Language program have often interned at Jogja TV. They undergo specific training to translate Pawartos Ngayojokarto.
“This has been going on for several waves and is progressing well, and we even intend to create a sustainable collaboration by developing educational programs, especially for Javanese language,” he suggested.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Photographer: Firsto