The Newsman
Suryopratomo, president director of Metro TV, shares his story and vision with Indonesia Tatler
“It’s really nothing out of the ordinary,” Suryopratomo said with a smile. The president director of Metro TV was talking about Indonesia’s political atmosphere while student demonstrations were being held in Jakarta. Amid the political situation, Indonesia Tatler joined him at his office in Kebon Jeruk for a quick chat.
In general, Suryopratomo (or as his team calls him: Tommy) has a positive outlook regarding the future of Indonesia’s democracy. After all, as a journalist, Tommy witnessed Indonesia’s reformation process between the years 1998 and 1999. He was right there with the students when they were occupying parliament, with many international political analysts forecasting the disintegration of Indonesia there and then.
“But we are still here,” he smiled. “I think today we are just a little bit carried away by the democratisation process. We already got our democracy after the Reformation, and I think it is one of the best in the world.”
Tommy then shared his belief that Indonesia has a lot to learn from South Korea. After the country established its democracy in 1989, the people went back to carry on with their jobs and responsibilities. “It is our job as citizens to build our democracy, and I think the media is responsible for creating awareness about building it instead of just talking about it,” he added.
In his current position, Tommy has experience in, and profound knowledge of, the world of journalism. He started working as a journalist for Kompas after getting his master’s degree from Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB). “My background in science taught me how to formulate hypotheses and test them,” Tommy told us. “It’s the same with being a journalist, because you formulate a hypothesis and then you test it by verifying it in the field.”
After graduating from IPB, Tommy had two options: either become a lecturer or work as a journalist. For him, both options were similar because the two jobs aim to educate. “The job of a journalist is to verify facts so they become knowledge for the public; hence, our slogan at Metro TV is ‘Knowledge to Elevate’,” he noted.
This slogan is deeply embedded as part of the vision of Metro TV as an institution. Accordingly, a journalist who joins Metro TV must undergo a Journalist Development Program that is specifically designed to equip him or her with knowledge about the principles of journalism and the vision of the company. It usually takes one to two years for a journalist at Metro TV to complete the programme and be entitled to wear a Metro TV uniform.
“It takes passion to become a journalist. The late Jakob Oetama, while I was still editor-in-chief at Kompas, used to say that being a journalist is not a profession, but a calling,” he told us. “Being a journalist means a lifetime of dedication, and I still write even though I now hold a more structural position.”
Tommy then closed our talk about the vision that he used to lead Metro TV with, which was spreading good to as many people as possible. “That is why Metro TV, despite our limitations, is doing what we can to give back to the community,” he said. “With our foundation, Yayasan Sukma, we built an international-standard boarding school for children in Aceh who were victims of the 2004 tsunami and we also have a programme that helps people with cleft lips and cataracts,” he said in closing.