It is without a doubt that the media has played a significant contribution towards informing issues relating to the environment, from climate change, global warming, to maritime disaster. With this, the communication perspective is needed to explain how communicative action can result in a public sphere that accommodates environmental issues to create a sensitive society.
Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) Universitas Gadjah Mada had another visiting professor which is part of the World Class Professor (WCP) that is sponsored by the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia. The third professor to be working with the researcher in CESSAS UGM is Prof. Dr. David Robie from Auckland University of Technology (AUT), New Zealand. He specializes in the aspect of Journalism particularly in environmental issues. Apart from academic, Prof. David is in fact a Greenpeace journalist and activist. He is a living legend for the sunken Rainbow Warrior ship case in pacific. Rainbow Warrior is a Greenpeace ship conducting an anti-nuclear testing protest which was sunken by the French intelligence in the Pacific Ocean.
Upon arrival in Indonesia, the first thing scheduled for Prof. David was to conduct the internal workshop with the researcher of CESSAS UGM, themed “How to Develop Research in Maritime Disaster” at the CESSAS UGM office (1/11/2017). Prof. David with CESSAS UGM team of researcher, will collaborate in a research regarding ecological communication within maritime disaster taking the case study of Central Java. Aside from the internal researcher of CESSAS UGM as the attendee, several Communication students focusing on environmental issues and the media also attended the workshop. Within the workshop, Prof. David shared knowledge and experiences in terms of exploring issues related specifically to maritime disaster from mapping the issues to the methodological aspect.(Meike/Dipka)