In order to better understand the outside world and present their own experiences to a wider audience, writing skills are a must for members of the pesantren (Islamic boarding school) community of Indonesia. In order to assist in developing this capacity, the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP) in cooperation with the Asia Foundation (TAF) organised a workshop on journalistic writing skills for members of the pesantren community of West Java from November 28-30, 2006. The workshop was facilitated by two experienced journalists, Mr. Stanley Adiprasetya (ISAI) and Mr. Imam Prihadiyoko (Kompas).

The opening session featured a welcoming address from the deputy director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), Mr. Syafiq Hasyim. Mr. Hasyim said that he believed training such as this is important as part of reinvigorating pesantren. While there has been a historical tradition of writing in pesantren, in recent times there has been an increasing focus on oral transmission of knowledge rather than written transmission, which has resulted in a degradation of writing skills in pesantren. These skills need to be revived in order to breathe life into pesantren and return them to their rightful place at the  forefront of ideas and thinking in Indonesia.


Throughout the next eight sessions, participants were introduced to some of the basic concepts, philosophies and techniques behind journalistic writing. This included a general overview of the history of journalism, journalistic ethics, interviewing techniques as well as discussion on different types of articles such as features, opinion pieces and chronologies. One session was dedicated specfically to discussion on reporting religious issues and events in the media. This session was of particular importance for members of the pesantren community, many of whom may elect to write about religious issues in the future.

Participants in the workshop were also invited to put the lessons they had learnt into practice through several group activities and discussions. One particular activity which generated a positive response from participants was the group composition of features articles. In this activity participants were divided up into five groups, with each being asked to write a feature article to be presented to the other groups. For this activity, some participants drew on their own experiences or practiced interview skills with others in order to obtain the basic outline of their stories.


During the workshop time was also allocated in each session for questions and answers. As many of the participants were encountering the world of journalistic writing techniques for the first time, they often asked questions on the background behind journalism in Indonesia at the moment. During the first session which provided a background discussion of journalism, participants focused many of their questions on the difficult issues of how to handle ‘truth’ as well as how to reconcile the rights of the free press with the need for restraint and sensitivity.

In one exchange, it was discussed how it could be possible to make the press more mature (i.e. counter the influence of tabloids) or filter reports which could be harmful, particularly for children, without infringing the rights of a free press. Stanley argued that in the absence of an ombudsman who could mitigate or provide an outlet for citizens concerned with the negative effects of the media, what is required is for each individual to become more capable of interpreting what is meant in media reports and what interests may lie behind them.


Others also questioned whether or not there was a gap between what they were learning in the workshop and what journalists are really like in the field, particularly regarding the ethics to which journalists must adhere to. Both Stanley and Imam admitted that it is sometimes the case that journalists do not adhere to ethical standards; however the standards presented throughout the course are a must for good journalism aimed at the betterment of the nation.

In the session on reporting on religious issues, many questions focused on how the national daily Kompas reports on religious issues. Kompas at times has been perceived by some members of the pesantren community as hostile to Islam and the pesantren community itself through reports, particularly with regards to terrorism. Imam carefully responded to these comments by stressing that Kompas goes to great lengths to keep itself from being dominated by any one religious or ethnic group, even to the extent where a certain number of articles are reserved for reporting on religious issues for each group.


The concluding session featured remarks from Mr. Syafiq Hasyim. He once again reiterated the workshop’s aim of revitalizing the writing tradition of the pesantren community. He also stressed that the skills being discussed throughout the workshop were not just for the participants themselves, but that it was hoped that they would be able to transfer these skills to others as well. Finally he added that being able to write journalistic articles is a part of continuing the prophetic mission of the Prophet Muhammad, or bringing good news to their communities.

A follow up to this program is planned for February, 2007.