Head of Public Relations and Protocol Department Rubiyo opening the journalism training for the Public Relations and Publication staff, Friday (23/11) in Bogor. Photo by Humas/Ifa.

The Constitutional Court held journalism training for the Public Relations and Publication staff, Friday–Saturday (23–24/11/2018) in Bogor. The program was attended by 45 staff members and aimed at improving news of the Constitutional for the public. Head of Public Relations and Protocol Department Rubiyo said in his opening address that innovation is needed so that the journalism of the institution gets improve with time, in order to attract the public. He regarded the Public Relations Department and the Publication Division as the face of the institution, as the Court’s reputation depends on how they play their part. He hoped that the program will help participants improve themselves and learn new things.

Planning in Photography

Kompas Daily photographer Arbain Rambe, who presented on journalism photography, said that photos can be predicted even before they are taken. In taking photographs of certain moments, he said, planning is definitely crucial. He said that in Kompas there is division of duty, which informs where each photographer will be during the event. This, he said, is important as position is crucial in determining the result.

Arbain detailed four elements that make up photographs: technicality, position, composition, and momentum. He said that people mostly focus on technicality such as setting ISO, diaphragm, and lense. “However, the fact is that the technical factor also contributes to 3% of the photograph’s success,” he stressed. He highlighted the need to focus on position, composition, and momentum rather on technicality. Not to mention, today various camera settings have been automated, reducing the need for manual settings.

Title and Lead

Chief Editor of Kompas Daily Susana Rita explained the technicality of news writing. She said that title has to be brief and clear as well as straightforward. “The title can also be a sensational and provocative statement,” she said. Next, she talked about the lead, which is the two sentences at the beginning of the first paragraph. Ana said that the most important fact in the article is the lead, which is the core of an article. “The lead and title are an inseparable unity. The two has to correlate to each other, especially for hard news articles,” she explained.

RCTI journalist Erry Farid spoke on TV news production design, while TV One journalist Fitro Abdul Aziz talked about basic techniques of camera work and Ananggadipa Raswanto talked about graphic design. Erry suggested that the Court clarify the segment it targets for news. For example, he said, TV news style cannot be used readily in social media. “For TV news, be simple and take one angle you deem most interesting,” he said. (Arif Satriantoro/LA/Yuniar Widiastuti)