Conference on disaster journalism and risk communication set

The department of Communication of Ateneo de Manila University will be holding a two-day conference on disaster reporting and risk communication titled “(Un)Covering Disasters: A Conference on Disaster Journalism and Risk Communication.” It will be held on July 24–25 at the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City.

The impetus for this conference is the increasing concern over the country’s recent experience with Typhoon Yolanda and the role of the media in reporting information related to the disaster. The conference is designed to answer the challenges faced by various professionals in light of Yolanda and other recent disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.

Different specialists and experts all have a stake in how the media cover disasters and post- disaster responses; consequently, research and dialogue are imperative in areas such as science and risk communication, environmental journalism, public engagement in scientific research, information dissemination of post- disaster response and relief operations, and the role of indigenous or local knowledge in disaster risk reduction. This conference hopes to bring to the table cultural and theoretical approaches to understand discourses on disaster, as well as empirical understandings of disaster situations as they occur on the ground.

The keynote speaker is Michael H. Glantz, director of the Consortium for Capacity Building of the University of Colorado – Boulder. His outstanding work in the social sciences at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) as well as his solid accomplishments at the Center for Capacity Building in CU-Boulder play a big role in helping us understand issues surrounding climate change. We believe his expertise and commitment will illumine journalists, policy makers, social scientists, and climate scientists working in the Philippines.

Students, scholars, and practitioners from the Philippines and abroad will present on the following topics and themes: Theoretical perspectives on risk communication and environmental journalism, Representation of tragedy and suffering in the mainstream and new media, Visual representations of disaster through photographs, film, or video, Internal ( intra- and inter- agency) and external (media relations) communication activities of government agencies and relief NGOs, Reporting of post-disaster responses, rescue, retrieval, and relief operations, and delivery of humanitarian aid, The role of journalism in facilitating efficient and effective disaster response, Public participation and engagement through social media during disaster events, and Communication and public understanding of disaster preparedness programs and campaigns.

Registration details can be found on the website uncoveringdisasters.blogspot. com. You can also send an email to uncoveringdisasters@