//August 08, 2010//
Being a journalist is a job everyone should be adored of, at least for me. I adore the job, and the passion remains from writing alone. Those noble people are working behind the desk or behind the war, and they deliver the news in a way we never thought before. The term ‘news’ alone then expand to bigger meaning. For some people, continent and country become some terrible place to live on. So people need some fun and joy, to brighten up the day, to cheer up the life. Some heroes come to do the job, the oh-so-popular word is to entertain. Music and cinema, actor and soap opera. Then, we found term to establish the news. It is infotainment. Creating news related to the world of the performer, the entertainer, and the people behind the curtains.
Infotainment
/in-fo-tain-ment/
A television program that presents information (as news) in a manner intended to be entertaining.
—Merriam-Webster Dictionary
They informed, and they become entertainment. Becoming the heroes, saving the world, spreading the latest laugh and the biggest mocking.
Indonesia is well known for having the 4th largest population on the entire universe, donating more than 200 million people to step on the earth, and consuming the air, painfully. We become some beautiful archipelago in the south east, having well known also for the island of God, Bali. Well known also to produce trending topic in the entire night, in some little social networking. I’ve been cynical to the website since some other time, but I just can’t resist consuming the web like the rest of the universe. It’s like sleeping pill for the nocturnal, it’s addictive. A 160 character report, drawing world so clearly yet so blurry. The attributes become everyday phrase. People get clicked when hearing words like timeline, followers, and re-tweet. Micro-blog has gone nuts and oh-so-popular. You got judge by not having the account and suddenly, the CNN has reported Indonesia on some little column. Not only for having corruption, not only by the travel warning, but by making #arielpeterporn and #keongracun top the topic of the entire world. Beating Nolan’s Inception or Jobs’ I-phone. Can we be proud of? Oh, I’m not taking the side. I’m taking a stand. I’m not. Being well known for some little craziness is not making me proud, at all.
Infotainment gone berserk, they want to be the latest and the juiciest. So we live the day, by minute-oh-so-minute report on the crazy oh-so-called-news. The chitchat doesn’t end here, people are taking it harder than I am. They called it shame, and disgrace. And some is rumored by holding conference to make it Haram. The chairman of Indonesia infotainment gone live. They make opinions and some powerful arguments. Saying we are journalist, saying we are heroes by live up the air, saying you should be thankful because we entertained people while others just making it miserable. But the word Haram is a strong word, and as long as I can remember Islam thought me once you said it, it is final. Infotainment can’t be classified by the word. But, the conference doesn’t talk about the infotainment, they talking about some dirtier traits people nowadays have a lot. Spreading other’s kitchen business, digging other people’s mistake, and made it a blast on everyday’s life. Gossiping is the exact term. It is a long time sworn old enemy and we both already know the danger.
As for me, it is a bigger model of some little community. This model represents the country, and some neighborhood beneath it. Because it works also on my community. Yes I know some people who are playing ‘the infotainment’ on my community, they spread the news about people, their habits, their love-life and some weren’t actually true. Perception and speculation, oh we both already know the danger.
The fasting month will come in seconds, Ramadhan will says hello in 3 days. Let’s take some stand, becoming a better person we all dreamed of. I want to be cynical once more, to the world of infotainment or some stalker on other people’s profile. I just want to be cynical and let’s hope it is for forever more.
