Semarang, September 3, 2025 — The Department of Communication Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro successfully held the Visiting Professor Online program by presenting an international speaker, Dr. Fiona Suwana from UniSA Creative, University of South Australia. Carrying the theme “Digital Democracy: Youth, Political Participation, and The Power of Online Journalism”, this event presented a warm as well as in-depth discussion forum, discussing the role of the younger generation, particularly the political participation of Gen Z through online journalism. This event, held online via Zoom, lasted for three hours and was attended by the academic community as well as the general public.

In his remarks, the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Diponegoro, Dr. Drs. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin officially opened the event and conveyed his support for this program. He emphasized that international-level activities like this are important to continuously expand in order to encourage lecturers and researchers within the university to establish global cooperation in realizing the vision of a World Class University.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sunarto as the Head of the Expertise-Based Group (KBK) of Media Communication and Journalism, Department of Communication Science, added that this activity is expected not only to become a momentary discussion forum but also to be the initial foundation for more in-depth international research collaboration in the future.

Through her presentation, Dr. Suwana invited participants to view the dynamics of digital democracy from the perspective of global academics, while also highlighting various challenges faced by young journalists today—ranging from low media literacy, rampant disinformation, to patterns of political participation that are still reactive and not yet sustainable.

In general, this activity aims to improve quality and quantity in the academic field, particularly in aspects of research, teaching, and innovation within Universitas Diponegoro. Specifically, this activity is expected to increase the understanding of the academic community regarding the contribution of the younger generation in encouraging digital political participation through online journalism.

With the conclusion of this event, the Department of Communication Science hopes that the spirit of cross-country and cross-generational collaboration that has grown in this discussion can continue, becoming new energy to enrich academic insight in the ever-developing digital era.