When I was still in senior high school, some of opinion had crossed my mind, made me think what kind of person i'd be like in the future?. I’ve had always imagined that one day I would become some girl who has ability in writing, make a good wrote-up and staring into space that someday I would stand on stage, holding up a Pulitzer right in front of hundreds of people who smiling proudly at me , or will end up in a publishing-house, facing thousand of words in front of computer twenty three hours a day. (laugh, hahahaha… “Bermimpilah karena Tuhan akan memeluk mimpi-mimpimu” -Andrea Hirata-).
While I was in a college and dreaming about my huge ambition to become a journalist, I suddenly realized that becoming a journalist is not easy as I thought. Even though I’ve been studying and concentrating on Journalism major for about four years and just graduated from one of Institute in capital which is famous for its Journalism.
However, I do not think that I would have capability enough to work as a real, real, journalist (well, even I’ve never worked in mass media before, never yet...) but I’m not trying to prefigure my own self as a girl with lack of capability in working as a journalist. So why do I say “a real journalist” ? what's the different then between being a journalist and being a real journalist ?
Nowadays most people make their own assumption to a person who sticks out his identity card as a journalist is just similar to an encyclopaedic book. They all believe that journalist must have been provided with wide knowledge, only because they know that journalist commonly makes his information update almost everyday by reading Newspaper, surfing to the internet or sitting on a fancy chair reading some favorite books every single time.
They completely consider a journalist is seemingly like “A God-soul-Man"”. In the other words, knowing that kind of person got everything in their heads. No wonder there are so many journalists proud oneself on their jobs. In fact, people really have no idea that not every kind of journalist learn more about every little thing.
Concerning the distinction between “a journalist’ and ‘a real journalist’, I’ve been thinking through about it. One thing that I have learned is when I talked up with a chief assistant editor of the most reputable Newspaper at Town a couple of months ago . He asked me by then about the reason I chose journalism as a major, Was I really sure with the choice that I’d made?? Was it come from the deepest inside my heart??. Such a ridiculous questions I thought at was time that assured me to answer that I had convinced on my decision before I decided to move out from my first major. “ It’s simple, I just want to be a journalist,” I stated.
He laughed at that moment, and I just stared at his face with a little bit confused. He fixed his seat and started to give me an explanation. “Young lady, many journalists in this country claimed theirselves as good ones. They always think if they do their habitual action such as break into a run to get news sources, change a bad news into a good news, obey the rules by writing down a news script based on 5W+IH and eventually find it at the front page as banner headline is properly called a journalism work and appropriately mention them as a journalist. My point is there’s one essential thing to remember that all activities are nonetheless without committed to put your integrity inside your heart. You should know being a journalist is different with being a real journalist. A real journalist is always know that he has to work with a resoluteness, I’s all about a choice of your life”, he explained and I started thinking deeply into it..
