the journalist's best and worst part
What is the best part of being journalist? Well, you are paid to write, to learn new things, to be friendly to everyone so you can easily get connected to the source of the news, and not to lie!
And the worst part? It is when you commited to take short cut with your identity for your own personal interest. Here are the examples...
***
“Stop, and show me your driving license,” a police stopped me that day.
“Well, I’m sorry Sir. But.. err... you see, Sir, I’m a journalist. I’m on my duty now, so I hope you understand that...”
“A driving license, I said,”
I took my wallet and could only show him a car driving license. “Well, I don’t have my motorcycle driving license with me now for it was stolen with my pocket several days ago,” I lied for I never have a motorcylce driving license, beside car driving license.
“So you don’t have the motorcycle driving license, huh? I have to arrest your STNK then, and you have to go to the court,”
“Oh, come in, Sir,” I was getting panic for it’s my senior motorcycle and he had warned me to be careful not to be caught by traffic police operation. “Well, I hope there is another way.. I mean.. how much should I pay to get rid of this. I’m in a rush now, on a duty,”
“I don’t care who you are or what you do. Pay your money there in the court. The law has to be enforced,” he said, stressfully.
The word “law” suddenly sounded so suck that day! I looked around and found that another "victim" of that operation turned on their motorcycle’s engine and could go away after paying several money to the officer.
“But why can’t I have a street court?” I asked him.
“Well, it’s simply because you are a journalist,” he said as if nothing’s wrong.
And I realize that being journalist—for some fool like me—makes it impossible to bribe an officer.
***
“I need.. to check in... I have... 15 minutes left... to catch my plane...” I said breathlessly to the officer.
“Well,... do we still got a seat?” she screamed to another officer.
“No, we don’t!”
“I’m sorry, Sir. You are late. So you have to take the next plane,” She smiled so sweet and friendly. But that smile didn’t worked to console nor relieve me.
“What? But... you know the traffic is so jam, my job is... arggh.. listen, I’m a journalist!” Her eyes widened when I said the word ‘journalist.’ “My job spare me limited time to get here! Can I have a compensation for I think it will be bad for this airline if a journalist get mad?”
“Well, I don’t know. Ask that lady,” she responded and pointed the girl who answered her before.
And so I took my journalist ID, showed to the lady who is serving another passenger, a girl, who came to late too.
“Excuse me... I have a plane to catch.. Is it impossible for me to take the seat I have reserved and paid?”
“No, Sir. I’m sorry,”
“Where will you go?” the passenger, a girl beside me in a red veiled asked.
“Jogja. And you?”
“Mataram. They said there is no more seat,” she clutched a ticket in her right hand. “You missed your plane too?”
“Yes I am.”
And then the officer, the lady took me to get in to the office. She said she will check again the seat for me. I thought there is still a hope (I’m a journalist, and they will try to give me the best service, right?) The girl talked to another officer for couple minutes.
But I was totally wrong! Another officer came to me and said, “Sorry, Sir, you really have to take another plane.”
“What time the next plane will board?” I asked.
“12.00”
“What!!! It means 18 hours later?”
“Yes, or you can refund your ticket but we will charged you 25% off the ticket’s tarrif and another cut for an administrafion fee Rp55.000,”
“Well,... wait a second, I have to make a phone call,”
And then I came out and dialled her. There, I could see the veiled girl paying several money and run to the boarding pass with an officer beside him.
I was shocked! Angrily, I get to the lady.
“How much should I pay you to get my seat?”
“What? But Sir, you are a journalist! Beside, your plane is boarding few seconds ago,”
I felt the sky was stumbled. If I only knew the damn "rule" and concealed my journalist identity, then I would be in my plane 15 minutes ago.
“Honey, I’m sorry.. just because I’m late, and I’m a fool-honest-journalist, I can’t get my plane to Jogja now,...” I said to her from my phone.
***
The night later.. I thought a lot about what happened. I felt so mad and beginning to think "what a fucking nation I have." But then I took a deep breath and learned to accept it. Perharps, I really have no chance to commit a crime. Hehe...
And the most important thing is that I have no right to be angry to this airlines and "kill" it in my writing. I remember my mentor's words in literary journalism course a year ago, "A news is not a sword.. it's not created to kill people in our news. Not even if we hate the people,"
13 pendapat:
Jurnalis mutlak tidak perlu diperlakukan lebih. Namun jurnalis itu seperti dokter. Di luar jam kerja, dokter tetap dokter, jurnalis tetap jurnalis.
Jurnalis bukanlah sesuatu yang istimewa, tetapi it means something. Pers, di mana jurnalis adalah bagiannya, sampai dibilang pilar demokrasi keempat.
Arif have learned something from this. Kalo tidak punya SIM motor, carilah. Dan jangan sampai telat boarding.
Tapi poin dari tulisan itu adalah (menurut pemahamanku sebagai pembaca):
Di depan wartawan, polisi yang biasanya curang jadi sok jadi pahlawan, di depan wartawan, petugas maskapai murahan itu sok menerapkan kedisiplinan.
Jurnalis harus jalani hidup apa adanya: gaji kecil, dielus-elus kalo pas beritanya menguntungkan (tapi elusan ini harus ditolak), ditendang kalo beritanya merugikan (dicuekin aja walau babak belur).
Dan Anda anonymous, kritikmu bagus, tapi lebih sahih bila disampaikan terbuka. Ada indikasi 'rasa gak enak ma temen' kalo ngritik', dengan anda sembunyikan identitas. Atau Arif dah pasti tahu siapa Anda?
Simbol Dewi Keadilan harus didekontruksi. Seharusnya dengan mata terbuka, kita tetap tidak pandang bulu untuk mengritik, walau dengan ibu atau kekasih sendiri. Dengan mata tertutup, apa bisa jelas melihat persoalan. Dewi Keadilan? Basi.
apa itu? yakni ketika dalam situasi mendesak, kelebihan identitas jurnalis-yang biasa berlaku saat kita bertugas-bukannya membantu tapi malah bikin masalah tambah runyam.
tapi buat jurnalis lain yang lebih lihai, situasinya beda sih. mereka ga cuma bisa lolos operasi polisi, tapi juga bisa nonton konser gratisan, atau meras orang. ya nggak?
lha aku, cuma buat lolos dari polisi ama dapet seat aja gitu loh? masa ngga bisa sih? apa aku aja yang bego ya? :)
TO GILANG: duh, jadi tambah sayang ama kamu ;>
I once almost got my ticket at Blok M - I drove along the busway lane. When the policeman was writing the ticket I asked him, "Diwakilin aja deh Pak"
And for 25rb, we understood each other :)
Hahaha.
TO IKRAM: emang, aku juga pernah kaya gitu. cuma, kejadian yang ini tuh kasusnya aku ga punya SIM, plus STNKnya ternyata bodong, padahal liputan udah telat! panik, terus bego jadinya.
TO ASTRI: terus kenapa tetep milih ke unilever, Non? sayang lho? tetep nulis ya, minimal di blog. pasti aku kunjungi! tau sendiri kan, aktivitas kita kalo kerjaan dah kelar? :p
- pak polisi baek -
kl sama polisi mending minta sidang, kan uangnya nanti masuk ke negara bukan ke kantongnya polisi, jadi lebih puas..ambilnya juga gampang ga ribet, dateng ke pengadilan terus lgs ambil dokumen..utk kasusmu STNK misalnya..aku dah pernah kok..
kalo yang pesawat, aku juga udah pernah..yang jelas kalo terlambat mereka pasti minta uang tambahan apalagi kalo kita sendiri...tapi kalo ada temennya bisa ga diminta tambahan..liat-liat sikon deh...
yang jelas di negara ini memang berlaku "high Cost Economy" di semua sektor terutama sektor jasa pelayanan karena lahan itu yang aturannya belum jelas apalagi aturan hukum, kalaupun ada juga tidak tegas dan mengikat, tidak ada reward and punishmentnya...jadi, bagaimana komentar jurnalist kita & salam kenal buat "dewi"nya Arif :)
UDIN, iya deh. ngaku salah.
MBAK AYU, iya high cost economy! kadang bete banget jadi orang jujur di negeri ini.
pas aku disidang, aku gemes karena melihat hakimnya kaya orang jualan jami, dengan bundelan SIM di meja sebagai "jamu"nya.
nice blog..salam buat gilang desti parahita :)
sejak awal aku dah curiga lho, kalo itu kamu. kan yang tahu aku bekas penipu cuman anak-anak se-"darah". se-HMI maksudnya,.. XD
tapi karena kamu say salam kenal ama gilang jadi kupikir kamu mbak ayu. hehe.. maafmaafmaafmaafmaaf..
gimana, masih krasan jadi PNS?
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