Activist @AndreasHarsono Teaches News Tricks

By Camelia Pasandaran, Abdul Qowi Bastian
Jakarta Globe

Human rights activist Andreas Harsono aggregates news on Twitter. (JG Photo/Abdul Qowi Bastian)
Andreas Harsono is likely a familiar name to many human rights advocates and members of Indonesia’s media. The former journalist is known for his support of human rights issues, particularly in the domain of religious freedom and gender.

Since joining Human Rights Watch as an Indonesia researcher in 2008, Andreas has continued his former calling as a teacher of narrative journalism through a course at Yayasan Pantau (Pantau Foundation), which he founded.

His career in journalism started at university where he joined the campus press, despite his father’s wishes that Andreas should study electrical engineering and continue the family’s business upon graduating.

“I worked in an ordinary [non-media] company to study management” after graduation, Andreas says. “But after a year, I told my father that I did not enjoy it at all. I only wanted to become a journalist.”

Andreas joined the Jakarta Post as a cub reporter from 1993 to 1994. His contract was prematurely terminated when the Post learned that Andreas helped found the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), as an alternative to the government-controlled Indonesian Journalists Union (PWI), which held sole sway over the profession by official decree.

After leaving the Post, Andreas worked as a correspondent for Bangkok-based newspaper The Nation. He is also one of the founders of Southeast Asian Press Alliance, Institute for the Studies on Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Pantau.

He was once arrested when investigating the Sunni and Shia conflict in East Java’s Sampang district, for “intruding into a conflict area without a permit.” The police released him after a night in jail.

Aggregates uncensored news

Though long active on social media through his eponymous blog, Andreas only became active on Twitter after the attack on Ahmadiyah Muslims in Cikeusik, Banten that left three dead.

“After the incident, I tweeted frequently about the killing.”

Andreas during a visit to slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib in Batu, East Java, on June 7, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Andreas Harsono)

Andreas posted a video of the attack to YouTube after a leading TV news channel heavily censored the most brutal footage.

Andreas feels that news outlets’ self-censorship had the effect of downplaying the murder. Though his number of followers spiked, some have accused him of “having certain interests” by uploading the video.

No stranger to death threats, Andreas was once threatened for writing a blog post on the murder of Madurese in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in 2009.

He considers himself to be a “sense maker” and news aggregator of unedited accounts from blog posts and social media. He says he’s adapted to this role from lessons imparted by US journalist Bill Kovach, from whom he studied at Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow.

His @andreasharsono Twitter account has nearly 20,000 followers. But he warned that not everything said on the Internet is trustworthy.

Journalists should also show their followers how to make sense of complex data, he counsels. “A tweet should be useful in the sense that it gives information and takes a corresponding stance.” Tempo magazine founder Goenawan Mohamad is one of Andreas’ favorite Twitter feeds.

“I also follow some organizations, such as Kontras [Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence], media such as Tempo and the Jakarta Globe and human rights activists including Usman Hamid and Hariz Azhar. I’m not following [President Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono. I don’t need to follow him, because every time I open my eyes, he’s there.”

No more gatekeepers

Media professionals can no longer act as gatekeepers, Andreas says, as social media empowers anyone to shape public opinion.

Screen shot 2013-10-18 at 1.08.28 PM

“Editors used to be gatekeepers of information received by the media,” he says. “But with the rise of social media, this traditional boundary no longer exists.”

Andreas said media organizations have shrunk as the Internet allows people to assume new roles.

“You can be a publisher via a blog, broadcaster via YouTube or podcast and social networker via Twitter,” he says. “The role of gatekeeper has been written off in this Internet era.”

Andreas says although social media may not always be reliable and can be dangerously misleading, it also gives consumers an opportunity to get comprehensive, uncensored information.

Social media maxims from Andreas Harsono

1. Do not use social media to merely spread personal information. “People are not interested with your personal life. There’s no use of tweeting like ‘I feel tired’ or ‘It’s really hot’ or ‘I’m hungry.’”

2. Consider Facebook as the user’s living room, a place where you receive guests who are your friends, colleagues and others. Don’t say bad words in someone’s living room; it’s unethical.

3. Don’t accept friend requests of people you never meet physically. You have to make sure that your Facebook friends are ethical, will not steal your private photos and will not improperly respond to your status.

4. Treat Twitter like a porch. Say whatever, but respect your neighbors.

Follow Friday is a series of profiles on the people who make up Indonesia’s ever-growing Twitterverse. Each week we feature one person whose tweets are either informative, funny or controversial. Follow at your own risk.

Batasi Akses Media Asing ke Papua: Koalisi Organisasi Temui Dewan Pers dan AJI, Ini Hasilnya

Yermias Degei | Majalah Selangkah

Jakarta, MAJALAH SELANGKAH -- Rabu, 16 Oktober 2013, sebuah koalisi lembaga masyarakat bertemu Dewan Pers dan Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (AJI) di Jakarta berkaitan dengan pembatasan liputan bagi wartawan asing ke Papua.

Pertemuan digelar untuk minta kedua lembaga ini mendorong pemerintah Indonesia agar mencabut pembatasan bagi wartawan asing mengunjungi Papua dengan menyamakan perlakuan terhadap Papua sama dengan provinsi-provinsi lain.

Andreas Harsono dari Human Rights Watch, salah seorang delegasi, mengatakan kepada majalahselangkah.com, Jumat, (17/10/13), bahwa mereka membuka pertemuan dengan menyebutkan aksi tiga aktivis Papua yang melompat ke konsulat Australia di Bali dan minta para pemimpin APEC untuk mendorong Indonesia untuk membebaskan tahanan politik dan membuka akses wartawan asing ke Papua.

"Kami mengatakan bahwa sulit bagi wartawan internasional untuk mengunjungi Papua. Mereka tidak hanya perlu izin dari Kementerian Luar Negeri, yang sangat dibatasi, tetapi juga harus membayar perjalanan seorang pendamping dari Badan Intelijen Negara (BIN)."

Setiap minggu ada pertemuan di Jakarta, dimana setiap permintaan berkunjung ke Papua dibahas. Ini tidak hanya dibatasi untuk wartawan, tetapi juga untuk setiap orang asing, termasuk diplomat, pejabat PBB, pengamat, perwakilan donor dan turis.

"Secara praktis, praktek ini sudah dimulai sejak 1963 ketika PBB menyerahkan administrasi Niuew Guinea ke Indonesia. Kami menyebut contoh tiga media internasional, yang diberi izin untuk mengunjungi Papua, pada 2012 dan 2013. Kami menunjukkan kepada mereka surat izin yang ditandatangani oleh P.L.E. Priatna, direktur informasi dan media di Kementerian Luar Negeri. Priatna hanya menulis bahwa permohonan telah disetujui tanpa mengatakan siapa yang menyetujui dan pertimbangan hukum apa dalam persetujuan tersebut," kata Harsono.

Harsono juga menceritakan pengalaman serupa pada 1968 ketika Menteri Luar Negeri Adam Malik membawa 32 wartawan asing ke Papua. Semuanya didampingi tentara yang mendengarkan ketika wartawan-wartawan tersebut wawancara orang Papua.

"Indonesia klaim bahwa ia adalah negara demokrasi. Hanya sedikit negara-negara di dunia ini yang masih mewajibkan wartawan asing didampingi petugas. Salah satunya adalah Korea Utara. Aneh sekali bukan? Masak Indonesia sama dengan Korea Utara? Apalagi praktek begini sudah jalan 50 tahun," kata Harsono.

Dewan Pers dan Aliansi Jurnalis Independen berjanji akan menulis surat kepada Menteri Luar Negeri Marty Natalegawa, Menteri Koordinator Politik dan Keamanan Djoko Suyanto, serta ketua Badan Intelijen Negara Marciano Norman. Mereka hendak mencari tahu apa pertimbangan pemerintah, sehingga wartawan asing selama 50 tahun dibatasi masuk ke Papua dan Papua diperlakukan beda dengan provinsi lain.

Ketua Umum AJI, Eko Maryadi dalam wawancara telepon dengan majalahselangkah.com sore ini, mengatakan, "AJI akan menulis surat kepada pejabat di Indonesia, Menteri Luar Negeri, Menteri Koordinator Politik dan Keamanan, termasuk juga kepala BIN. Kita ingin mempertanyakan apa yang menjadi sebab Indonesia terlihat  mempersulit wartawan asing untuk meliput wilayah Papua."

Eko Maryadi mengatakan, AJI Indonesia memberikan dukungan upaya AJI Jayapura mendorong supaya wilayah Papua itu lebih terbuka untuk peliputan media. "Bukan hanya wartawan atau media dalam negeri, tetapi juga terbuka kepada wartawan luar negeri. Kalau pemerintah Indonesia menganggap Papua ini bagian dari wilayah Indonesia, maka dia harus memperlakukan wilayah Papua ini sama seperti provinsi yang lain di Indonesia."

"Sama seperti orang mau pergi ke Bandung, Yogyakarta, pergi ke Bali. Jadi, kalau wartawan mau pergi ke kota-kota itu mudah saja. Tetapi, begitu mau masuk Papua terkesan dipersulit. Kemudian, belakangan saya dengar harus didampingi oleh pejabat pemerintah, aparat keamanan. Tindakan itu adalah tindakan yang berlebihan dan tidak sesuai dengan kebebasan pers yang dimiliki Indonesia sejak tahun 1999," tuturnya.

"AJI seluruh Indonesia di 36 kota, termasuk AJI di Jayapura mendorong supaya pemerintah ini konsisten. Kalau pemerintahan SBY-Boediono ini dipandang pemerintahan yang demokratis, yang menghargai kebebasan pers, menghargai kebebasan berekspresi, maka wilayah Papua itu tidak boleh dianaktirikan, tidak boleh didiskriminasi. Wilayah Papua diperlakukan sama seperti provinsi yang lain. Tidak boleh ada pembatasan,tidak boleh ada peratuan yang berlebihan, tidak boleh ada sensor terhadap akses media asing atau wartawan asing yang meliput wilayah Papua," kata Ketua Umum AJI, Eko Maryadi.

Lebih jauh ia menegaskan, semakin Indonesia melakukan pembatasan, dunia internasional akan curiga apa yang terjadi di Papua. "Kalau pemerintah semakin terbuka, maka tidak ada kecurigaan. Kalau diberikan kebebasan, maka ini akan menjadi kredit yang baik untuk pemerintahan SBY-Boediono."

Kepada Koalisi pada pertemuan itu, AJI juga mengatakan bahwa melawan pembatasan wartawan asing ke Papua adalah amanat yang telah diterima pengurus AJI pada kongres di Makassar pada Desember 2011.

Andreas Harsono mengatakan, AJI ingin membangun koalisi yang lebih besar dengan Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club dan Ikatan Jurnalis Televisi Indonesia.

Menurut AJI Jayapura, beberapa wartawan dari Selandia Baru, Belanda, Inggris dan Australia mengalami kesulitan saat mengajukan ijin masuk Papua. Tujuh dari 35 wartawan asing yang mendapat izin meliput di Papua juga dideportasi antara 2011 dan 2012.

Pada pertemuan dengan Dewan Pers, Dewan Pers diwakili oleh Wakil Ketua Leo Batubara dan anggota Ridlo Eisy, Imam Wahyudi, dan Yosep Adi Prasetyo.

Koalisi pertemuan meliputi beberapa organisasi termasuk Imam Shofwan (ketua Yayasan Pantau), Pendeta Socratez Sofyan Yoman (ketua Gereja-gereja Baptis di Papua), Novita Simamora (Narasi Sumatera), Frans Tomoki (Front Nasional Mahasiswa Papua), dan beberapa warga Indonesia yang bekerja untuk media internasional. (MS)

Papua: Indonesia's Forbidden Island

Andreas Harsono

The Jakarta Globe

The Indonesian government effectively blocks foreign media from freely reporting in Papua by limiting access to only those foreign reporters who get special official permission to visit the island.

Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher

BALI –On September 23, two officers with the Indonesian police Brigade Mobile (“Brimob”) fired into a stone-throwing crowd, killing a 17-year-old student and seriously wounding three other people.  The police posted guards at the hospital where the wounded were being treated, and required visitors to leave their mobile phones at the entrance. Police reportedly confiscated the mobile phone of a nurse who had used it to take photos of the victims’ wounds.

That’s a story that some of the thousands of correspondents on Indonesia’s island of Bali for the October 5-8 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit might want to follow up on. But that won’t happen because the incident occurred in the town of Waghete, in Indonesia’s far eastern Papua province, where foreign journalists are barred from going or reporting. 

The Indonesian government effectively blocks foreign media from freely reporting in Papua by limiting access to only those foreign reporters who get special official permission to visit the island. The government rarely approves applications for foreign media access to Papua or delays processing for such applications, hampering efforts by journalists and civil society groups to report on breaking events.  Those journalists who do get official permission are invariably shadowed by official minders who strictly control their movements and access to interviewees. 

Although the government permits Indonesian domestic media to report from Papua, there are serious questions about their reliability in the face of government efforts to control the flow of information from the troubled region.  Official documents leaked  in 2011 indicate that the Indonesian military employs around two dozen Papua-based Indonesian journalists as informers , raising doubts about the objectivity of their reporting. The military has also financed and trained journalists and bloggers, warning them about alleged foreign interference in Papua, including by the U.S. and other governments.

Such tactics don’t comport with Indonesia’s self-branding as a stable, progressive democracy which blends “dynamism and diversity.”

What does the government have to hide?  A litany of violence and abuses. 

The incident in Waghete—which the Indonesian government has yet to investigate if police used unnecessary lethal force—is just one of many troubling incidents of violence and impunity which have characterized life in Papua since  Indonesian military forces deployed there in 1963 to counter a long-simmering independence movement.

The Free Papua Movement is small and poorly organized, though it has increased in sophistication in recent years. Tensions heightened in Papua in 2013 following the February 21 attack on Indonesian military forces by suspected elements of the separatist Free Papua Movement. The attack killed eight soldiers, the worst act of violence against the military in the area in more than ten years.

Human rights abuses remain rife in Papua. Over the last three years alone, Human Rights Watch has documented dozens of cases where police, military, intelligence officers, and prison guards have exercised excessive force when dealing with Papuans exercising their right to peaceful assembly. 

On April 30, police fired on a group of Papuans who peacefully gathered in Aimas district, near Sorong, to protest the 50th anniversary of the 1963 handover of Papua to Indonesia from Dutch colonial control. Two men, Abner Malagawak and Thomas Blesia, were killed on the spot. A third victim, Salomina Kalaibin, died six days later from gunshot wounds. Police detained at least 22 individuals and charged seven of them with treason.

An Indonesian army battalion went on a rampage in Wamena on June 6, 2012, burning down 87 houses, injuring 13 native Papuans and killing one. Their attacks came after villagers had beaten two soldiers whose motorcycle had run over a Papuan child. One soldier died in the attack. Police arrested three Papuan suspects. On June 12, the Indonesian military “solved” the incident with a traditional stone-burning ceremony in which the Papuan populace was asked to close the case. Not a single soldier was tried.

In August 2011, the Jayapura military tribunal convicted three soldiers from the same battalion after soldiers shot and killed Reverend Kinderman Gire on the suspicion he was a Papuan separatist.

At the trial, the defendants claimed Rev. Gire led them to believe he was a member of the rebel Free Papua Movement  and tried to grab a rifle from one of them, who then shot him in the chest. They dumped the body in a river, after cutting cut off his head. Again, the tribunal convicted them of a lesser offense of “disobeying orders” and sentenced them respectively to just six, seven, and fifteen months in prison.

Impunity has become synonymous with the operations of security forces in Papua. While a handful of military tribunals have been held in Papua, the charges have been inadequate and soldiers who committed abuses continue to serve in the Indonesian military. in January 2011, a military tribunal in Jayapura, Papua, convicted three soldiers from the Nabire-based Battalion 753 and sentenced them to between eight to twelve months in prison for the brutal torture of two Papuan farmers, burning one farmer’s penis. Despite video showing the involvement of six soldiers, the tribunal tried only three of the six soldiers, and on lesser military discipline charges instead of torture. The soldiers have not been discharged from military service.

Indonesian government also consistently arrests and jails Papuan protesters for peacefully advocating for independence or other political change. Currently 55 Papuan activists are jailed for “treason.” They include Filep Karma, a Papuan civil servant, who serves 15 years in prison for raising the Morning Star flag, –an independence West Papua symbol, in December 2004. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said that Karma was not given fair trial in Indonesia and asked the Indonesian government to immediately and unconditionally release Karma. Indonesia has refused the UN recommendation.

These incidents – and the inability of foreign media to cover them – have drawn international criticism, but not generated enough pressure to end the reporting ban.

During the Universal Periodic Review of Indonesia at the United Nations’ Human Rights Council on May 23, 2012, France called on Indonesia to ensure free access for civil society and journalists to Papua. The United Kingdom noted the “increase in violence” in Papua and “encouraged Indonesia to tackle violence against minority faiths and accept visit requests by Special Rapporteurs.” Austria, Chile, the Maldives, and South Korea called on Indonesia to accept standing invitations to the UN rights experts and groups known as special procedures. Mexico specifically asked the Indonesian government to invite the special rapporteurs to Papua. Germany asked Indonesia to release Papuan political prisoners including Filep Karma.

But the Indonesian government is adamant in its refusal to loosen its chokehold on journalists’ access to Papua. On July 16, 2013, Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa defended the foreign media ban by warning of unnamed “elements in Papua who are keen to gain international attention by doing harm to international personalities including journalists.”

Natalegawa’s determination to keep Papua behind a censored curtain only fosters security forces’ impunity and fuels resentment among Papuans. It’s time for the Indonesian government to free the media and civil society to shine a light on conditions in Papua, good and bad.

Andreas Harsono is Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch. His Twitter is @andreasharsono.

Jurnalisme Sastrawi XXII

Silabus Kursus
Jakarta, 6 – 17 Januari 2014

Di Jakarta, pada Juli 2001, Janet Steele dan Andreas Harsono mengampu sebuah kelas soal bagaimana menulis panjang. Mereka memperkenalkan gerakan yang dimulai pada 1973 di New York, ketika Tom Wolfe mengenalkan sebuah genre baru: New Journalism.

Ia mengawinkan disiplin keras dalam jurnalisme dengan daya pikat sastra. Genre ini mensyaratkan liputan dalam, namun memikat. Genre ini kemudian dikenal dengan nama narative reporting. Menurut Nieman Reports, sejak 1980an, suratkabar-suratkabar di Amerika banyak memakai elemennya ketika kecepatan televisi membuat suratkabar tampil dengan laporan mendalam. Kini dotcom pun mulai masuk ke format penulisan panjang.

Kursus tersebut dapat minat cukup banyak orang. Setiap tahun, Steele dan Harsono mengajar di Jakarta lewat Yayasan Pantau. Mereka juga mengajar di berbagai kota, Davao City sampai Kuala Lumpur, dari Banda Aceh sampai Ambon.

Kursus ini dibuat dua minggu. Peserta adalah orang yang biasa menulis untuk media. Setidaknya berpengalaman sekitar lima tahun. Peserta maksimal 18 orang agar pengampu punya perhatian memadai buat semua peserta. Calon peserta diharapkan mengirim biodata dan contoh tulisan agar pengampu mengetahui kemampuan dasar peserta lebih awal. Biaya pendaftaran Rp 3 juta. Biaya tersebut sudah termasuk buku dan materi kursus non buku sekitar 200 halaman serta coffe break dan makan siang.

INSTRUKTUR

Janet Steele -- Profesor dari George Washington University, spesialisasi sejarah media, mengajar mata kuliah narrative journalism. Menulis buku The Sun Shines for All: Journalism and Ideology in the Life of Charles A. Dana dan Wars Within: The Story of Tempo, an Independent Magazine in Soeharto’s Indonesia. Saat ini dia sedang menulis tentang jurnalisme dan Islam.

Andreas Harsono – Peneliti Human Rights Watch, salah satu pendiri Yayasan Pantau, anggota International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, mendapatkan Nieman Fellowship di Universitas Harvard. Menyunting buku Jurnalisme Sastrawi: Antologi Liputan Mendalam dan Memikat.

Goenawan Mohamad (pembicara tamu) - Penyair, kolumnis, redaktur pendiri majalah Tempo (1971), serta ikut mendirikan Komunitas Utan Kayu dan Teater Salihara. Dia menulis belasan buku termasuk Tuhan dan Hal-hal Yang Tak Selesai.

JANET STEELE

Senin, 6 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 – Pembukaan: perkenalan, silabus dan bagi tugas. Diskusi tentang kemungkinan jurnalisme sastrawi untuk keperluan suratkabar dan dotcom, lebih praktis, serta sejarah dan perbedaan antara "new," “literary" dan "narrative" journalism.

Bacaan: “The Girl of the Year” oleh Tom Wolfe; “Dua Jam Bersama Hasan Tiro” oleh Arif Zulkifli; “A Boy Who Was Like a Flower” oleh Anthony Shadid, “Bearing Witness in Syria: A Reporter’s Last Days,” oleh Tyler Hicks, dan “Kegusaran Tom Wolfe” oleh Septiawan Santana Kurnia..

Senin, 6 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 -- Diskusi lanjutan tentang definisi jurnalisme sastrawi, dari Tom Wolfe hingga Mark Kramer, dan pengaruhnya pada perkembangan penulisan di Amerika Serikat.

Tugas untuk hari Selasa: Menulis tentang sebuah peristiwa yang disaksikan. Mulai dengan adegan, tanpa "penjelasan." bersadarkan karya Tom Wolfe "The Girl of the Year." Topiknya bisa apa saja tapi yang bisa memikat pembaca untuk membaca narasi itu. Mohon tak membuat lebih panjang dari dua halaman, dua spasi agar semua peserta bisa mendapat bagian membacakan karyanya.

Selasa, 7 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 -- Diskusi tentang pekerjaan rumah.

Bacaan: “Sebuah Kegilaan di Simpang Kraft” oleh Chik Rini; sebagian dari buku “In Cold Blood” karya Truman Capote dan kliping dari harian The New York Times pada 1959 “Wealthy Family, 3 of Family Slain.”

Selasa, 7 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 -- Diskusi tentang immersion reporting berdasarkan karya Truman Capote “In Cold Blood” serta membandingkannya dengan “Sebuah Kegilaan di Simpang Kraft.”

ANDREAS HARSONO

Kamis, 9 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 – Diskusi tentang dasar-dasar dan etika jurnalisme. Pedomannya, The Elements of Journalism karya Bill Kovach dan Tom Rosenstiel.

Bacaan: Buku Sembilan Elemen Jurnalisme terjemahan karya Kovach dan Rosenstiel disediakan dalam paket. Ada resensinya oleh Andreas Harsono. “Media Bias in Covering the Tsunami in Aceh” karya Andreas Harsono.

Kamis, 9 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 – Diskusi soal jurnalisme sastrawi, membedakan mana yang fakta dan mana yang fiksi, tujuh pertimbangan dalam genre ini.

Bacaan: “Kegusaran Tom Wolfe” oleh Septiawan Santana Kurnia; “Ibarat Kawan Lama Datang Bercerita” oleh Andreas Harsono dalam buku Jurnalisme Sastrawi; laporan-laporan dalam Nieman Narrative Journalism Conference.

Tugas untuk hari Senin: Perhatikan sesuatu di lingkungan Anda. Bikin deskripsi dengan padat. Manfaatkan penciuman, pendengaran, warna, gerakan, kasar-halus, kontras (lucu, aneh, menarik) dan sebagainya. Hindarkan klise macam “nyiur melambai” atau “angin sepoi-sepoi.” Bikin deskripsi yang akan merampas perhatian pembaca! Maksimal satu halaman. Bacalah ”Reporting in the key to good journalism” soal push up oleh Steven A. Holmes.

Jumat, 10 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 -- Diskusi tentang pluralisme dan toleransi agama bersama Goenawan Mohamad di Teater Salihara. Goenawan adalah redaktur pendiri majalah Tempo, kolumnis “Catatan Pinggir” sejak 1977.

Senin, 13 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 – Diskusi struktur narasi dengan contoh “Hiroshima” karya John Hersey.

Bacaan: “Hiroshima” oleh John Hersey; “Menyusuri Jejak John ‘Hiroshima’ Hersey” oleh Bimo Nugroho.

Senin, 13 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 – Diskusi tentang sumber anonim dan teknik interview. Berlatih interview dengan bantuan video dan layar televisi.

Bacaan: “Tujuh Kriteria Sumber Anonim”; “Ten Tips for Better Interviews”

Tugas untuk hari Rabu: Carilah seseorang yang menarik serta wawancarailah dia. Gunakan wawancara itu guna membuat deskripsi dan dialog. Pilih kalimat-kalimat yang bernas, memikat, indah, kuat serta menyentak. Maksimal satu halaman. Pikirkan dampak dari setiap kalimat dalam mengikat emosi pembaca.

Rabu, 15 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 – Satu isu namun muncul dalam tiga pendekatan. Isunya Aceh. Perhatikan beda ketiga struktur.

Bacaan: “Kejarlah Daku Kau Kusekolahkan” karya Alfian Hamzah; “Republik Indonesia Kilometer Nol” karya Andreas Harsono; “Sebuah Kegilaan di Simpang Kraft” karya Chik Rini.

Rabu, 15 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 – Liputan agama dan meningkatnya serangan kepada minoritas agama. Mengapa dan bagaimana meliputnya?

Bacaan: ”Atas Nama Agama: Pelanggaran terhadap Minoritas Agama di Indonesia” oleh Human Rights Watch. Bila tak sempat baca laporan panjang tsb, bisa baca ringkasannya. Buat perbandingan, silahkan baca ”The Double Game” karya Lawrence Wright

Jumat, 17 Januari 2014 pukul 10:00-12:00 – Kebebasan berpendapat dan berekspresi serta resiko gugatan pencemaran nama baik maupun criminal defamation. Bagaimana melihat suasana kebebasan berpendapat di Indonesia? Papua? Irshad Manji? Lady Gaga?

Bacaan: “Kritik Menuai Badai: Konsekuensi Hak Asasi Manusia dari Pasal Pencemaran Nama Baik di Indonesia” oleh Christen Broecker serta “Belajar dari Filep Karma” oleh Andreas Harsono. Pelajari juga pasal-pasal yang bisa membawa seseorang ke penjara karena Twitter, Facebook, email maupun tulisan.

Jumat, 17 Januari 2014 pukul 13:00-15:00 – Penutupan dan warna sari

***