Public RelationsUPNVJ - Representatives from the University of Liberal Arts of Bangladesh (ULAB) visited Indonesia and gave a guest lecture at the National Development University "Veteran" Jakarta on October 2 2023. This visit is part of the agreement between the two universities which has been stated in the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU).
During this international visit, ULAB sent two senior lecturers named Syeda Sadia Mehjabin and Mohammad Aminul Islam.
Taking place in the FISIP Diplomacy Laboratory room, the public lecture activity from 09.30 to 11.30 WIB raised the theme "The Emerging Politics of Digital Journalism Studies."
The guest lecture discussed a number of important issues in digital journalism, including the political impacts that arise with the development of technology and social media. Apart from that, this activity also promises valuable insight into the current dynamics in digital journalism and its relationship with politics.
"The world of journalism is experiencing very rapid changes. The academic world is also encouraged to adapt," said Mohammad Aminul when speaking in front of UPNVJ FISIP Communication Science students.
Artificial intelligence
Moreover, this development, continued Mohammad, has become very rapid with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), which is also disrupting the world of journalism. However, he believes that the role of humans will not be replaced by machines.
In the context of journalism, humans who work as journalists are able to provide context, while AI is not. "Humans know better how to present interesting information to readers," he added.
Meanwhile, Syeda Sadia Mehjabin welcomed the guest lecture this time, especially regarding the enthusiasm of students in the field of journalism studies.
This enthusiasm can be seen from the number of students who asked questions during the guest lecture. "I was also very impressed with the hospitality of the organizers," said Syeda.
Digital Journalism
Mohammad and Syeda also shared a brief history of digital journalism in Bangladesh. There are a number of mainstream news agencies in Bangladesh that create their online versions, such as The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, and bdnews24.com.
"The online version builds on the credibility of the original news agency, and offers faster and broader access to news and information to Bangladesh's growing online community," said Mohammad and Syeda.
The development of online news agencies in Bangladesh is influenced by cultural, economic, political and social context factors.
Apart from its history, various challenges in the field of digital journalism in Bangladesh were also discussed in this guest lecture. Mohammad and Syeda said that press freedom in Bangladesh is relatively limited, with threats of violence, harassment and even legal action against media crews from the authorities or influential figures.
The low level of professionalism and ethics among a number of journalists and news agencies is also a challenge in Bangladesh. This can lead to biased, overly sensational and inaccurate reporting.
"Limited access to various information and sources, especially regarding controversial issues, is another challenge," said Mohammad and Syeda.
"Usually these limitations occur due to acts of censorship or intimidation," they continued.
Invitation to Bangladesh
Apart from delivering material, the guest lecture activity also included the signing of the Implementation Agreement (IA) between UPNVJ and the Liberal Arts University of Bangladesh, which marked the commitment of the two institutions to further deepen cooperation in the fields of education and research.
"The collaboration covers all existing study programs, and the signing of the Implementation Agreement was represented by each department head," said Head of the Communication Sciences Department, Munadhil Abdul Muqsith, Ph.D.
"ULAB also invited UPNVJ representatives to visit Bangladesh, to discuss further cooperation in the fields of student exchange, research and so on," he concluded.