The first session, the Evolution of Photojournalism in Shaping Public Opinion & Generating Public Discourse, included outstanding speakers Arbain Rambey, former photo editor at Kompas, and Adek Berry, photographer of AFP, accompanied by Rony Zakaria, the Post’s 40th anniversary photo exhibition curator as moderator.

Arbain said photojournalism was used to lure people to read. "Nowadays, photojournalism is sometimes deliberately used for the wrong role, no longer to accompany news, but as bait so that readers are interested in reading," he added.

Adek shared about the transformation of photojournalism, with the biggest change in being the evolution from analogue cameras to digital. "And we as journalists have to keep adapting", she added.

The second discussion brought the topic of “Privacy and Cybersecurity in Media: Protecting Information & Sources”, with speakers Wahyudi Djafar, researcher and executive director of ELSAM, Ardi Sutedja K., chairman and cofounder of the Indonesia Cyber Security Forum (ICSF); Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International and Ajar Edi, director of Corporate Affairs of Microsoft Indonesia, with Tama Salim, deputy managing editor of The Jakarta Post serving as moderator.

“We need to learn to be able to anticipate and indicate for our own protection. Not only for the corporations, but also for our personal use. Because something bad will happen if we do not discuss cybersecurity. When we talked about having our own cybersecurity agency, the first thing that came to our mind is national security,” said Ardi.

Ardi also described how national security was not only about scale, but about people and their perspective alongside the perspective of the government. “National security is the responsibility of all of us, therefore we must develop our skills to elaborate”, he added.

After two sessions for Media Matters, the event continued with Artist Talk: Behind the Lens, as PJ Leo, former senior photographer for The Jakarta Post with 29 years of experience, discussed the development of photojournalism and its vital role in the constantly evolving media sector.

According to Leo, the arrival of the digital era allowed everyone to start their own photography business and develop into the world of journalism, yet he stressed the importance of the ethics and positioning of journalists.

“But still, if we enter the world of journalism, we must be neutral, [we must] not take sides,” he said, adding that this is doubly true especially during demonstrations or religious conflicts.

One of the attendees, Eben, a former journalist who now often provides journalistic writing training, said that the Media Matters event held by The Jakarta Post was interesting because the speakers showed their experiences, with the series promoting intellectuality with interesting topics.

Toto, a freelance photographer who took part in this event also said that the Artist Talk: Behind the Lens was exciting because he also had experienced what Leo described.

If you would like to attend any of The Jakarta Post’s 40^th anniversary celebrations, events will be held through Aug. 19. Visit this website to book your reservations https://bit.ly/TJP40MediaLiteracyBootcamp

To learn more about the speakers and the current events, go to the website at http://thejakartapost.com/40-years

Editor's note: Story updated to correct attribution of ideas.

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