Jakarta Globe, Ismira Lutfia | December 14, 2010
Australian journalist and CNN anchor Anna Coren has reported from around the world and knows a good story when she sees it. Which is why she is so drawn to Indonesia, which she sees as a great story just waiting to be told to the world.
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| Australian journalist Anna Coren is the anchor for CNN’s weekday ‘World Report’. (JG Photo) |
Being able to tell stories like Indonesia’s is what drew Coren to journalism in the first place.
She said if she was given the choice to report from anywhere in the world, she would go somewhere that was usually overlooked by the mainstream media, so she could show people what was really happening there.
Those reports, the ones that make people aware of a situation they didn’t even know existed, are “the most important stories,” she added.
Although Indonesia is receiving more coverage from international media outlets these days, Coren said many stories still reinforced perceptions of the country as unstable, dangerous and riddled with corruption.
“Those are the impressions that need to change so that foreign investors and the rest of the world will look at Indonesia as a place that you can invest in, that’s stable and transparent,” she said.
Coren did a six-week posting in Jakarta for CNN in February.
During that time, she reported on, among others things, the landslide in Purwakarta, West Java, as well as the Bank Century bailout scandal. She interviewed one of the figures at the center of the controversy, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who was the finance minister at the time.
She also did a report on batik and Indonesia’s spat with Malaysia over who could lay claim to ownership of the traditional fabric.
“From what I’ve been reading, I don’t think [batik] is as important in Malaysia as it is in Indonesia. Indonesians feel very patriotic and have a sense of ownership toward batik. It’s good, national pride is always important,” Coren said.
In November, Coren returned to Jakarta to shoot the CNN series “i-List,” which highlights different up-and-coming countries, examining their innovations and trends in business, technology and culture.
The “i-List” episode with a focus on Indonesia examined how the country was becoming an increasingly attractive destination for foreign direct investment, despite issues with its physical infrastructure, thanks to low labor costs and abundant natural resources.
It also investigated the country’s remarkable adoption of social media and microblogging, with the world’s highest ratio of Twitter users to general Internet users, as well as the fourth highest number of Facebook users.
Coren described the country’s love affair with social media networks as “amazing,” in that it connects people across the archipelago’s many islands and three time zones.
The social networks, she said, also give a voice to the silently emerging middle class, allowing them to voice their opinions on controversial issues without having to take to the streets.
“I think [social networks are] really important for a young country like Indonesia where its people, its young people, are becoming more and more powerful,” Coren said.
She is well aware of the impact that the media can have thanks to her experience as a journalist around the world. She began her career with Australia’s Nine Network as a reporter and presenter.
Over the years, she has covered such important stories as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, where she reported extensively from Haifa, the terrorist attacks in Bali and London, the Asian tsunami in 2004 and several Australian elections.
She joined CNN in 2008 and is currently the anchor of CNN’s weekday news program, “World Report.”
During her time with the news organization, she has had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s most influential and interesting figures, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, South Korean actor and singer Rain, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Hollywood actor and activist George Clooney, Australian movie director Baz Luhrmann and legendary professional golfer Greg Norman.
But even with all those impressive names on the list, there are still many people out there Coren is itching to talk to.
She said that given everything that is happening in the United States, the chance to interview President Barack Obama would be a fascinating experience.
When asked what it takes to be a journalist, Coren said it required a person to be open-minded and a good listener. Potential reporters also need to have a curious and inquisitive mind.
“Patience also comes in handy,” she said, especially when journalists have to wait for verification on news stories they want to run.
Given that the news media now has access to a virtual flood of information, gossip and rumors from the Internet and social networking sites, Coren said it was a journalist’s responsibility to thoroughly check out news stories before bringing them to the public.
“I think it’s our responsibility to be responsible,” she said, adding that CNN held its reporters to very high standards, requiring journalists to vet their stories thoroughly before running them.
Being a reporter is certainly not all glamour and Coren said serious journalists had to be prepared to take care of themselves in dangerous situations.
Her experiences reporting from danger zones, such as in Haifa during the war between Israel and Hezbollah and the recent bus hostage crisis in Manila, have taught her that in such situations, reporters must remember to take all the necessary safety precautions.
“You need to be there as a reporter to tell the story, but you don’t want to get in harm’s way and become the story. Just take precautions and be with people who are experienced and have done it before,” Coren said.
Despite the hardships, she said she enjoyed her job and felt, given her position of privilege, a special responsibility to report stories that could help change people’s lives for the better.
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