Foreign correspondents in an era of global media

Introduction

I was driving in my car when a news-gathering coordinator from TVOne’s main office in Jakarta called me in Australia with the instruction that I had to make a live report as soon as possible about new developments in the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. The news-gathering coordinator advised me that just a few minutes earlier the Australian Prime Minister had made a statement in parliament that flight MH370 might have gone missing in the Indian Ocean, about 3000 km south-west of Perth.

This event highlighted one of the key questions faced by a foreign correspondent working in today’s global media landscape. That is how a foreign correspondent based in Australia could be updated by someone far away in Jakarta about a particular issue that occurred much closer to the location of the correspondent? If they could monitor the event second by second from far away, why did they need someone to do a live report? They could even re-broadcast reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation about this new development in the search.

“Selalu Ada Pilihan” (There is always a Choice)…to not launch the book, now

On January 17, President SBY launched his book entitled, “Selalu Ada Pilihan” (“There is always a Choice” – as translated by SBY himself).The president has said that he wrote it as a response to his detractors.  The book might have answered some of the criticism but it also heaved more, which reflects the failure of SBY’s political communication strategy.

One of the main criticisms is the time of the launch. The book came out in the midst of natural hazards across Indonesia. Jakarta and Manado was inundated by a massive flood, which affected millions of people.  In Karo Regency, North Sumatera, more than 26 thousand people have to flee from their homes to escape Mount Sinabung eruption.