The Threat of Journalists from the “Comfort Zone”
By: Wahyudi El Panggabean*)
The best things in life often await you on the way out of your comfort zone. – (Karen Salmansohn_American Personal Development Expert)
BIRDS are animals that symbolize creativity, agility, and freedom.
Their wings are specially designed to generate lift for efficient flight. They help them maneuver, turn direction, and regulate speed and altitude.
With their wings, birds perfectly glide and soar, utilizing air currents with agility and agility.
However, all of these agile flight activities are carried out by birds for two reasons: to meet their needs and to avoid the threat of predators.
So, what if a bird population lived in a “comfort zone” habitat free from threats? They lived in the open with a constant supply of food and free from the threat of predators? Would they still fly high and need to maneuver in the sky? Kingdom?
Wings Not to Fly. They have wings, but they can’t fly. That’s the uniqueness exhibited by the approximately 5,600-person population of island rails (Atlantisia rogersi).
According to mongabay.co.id, this bird population inhabits Inaccessible Island, a very remote area in the South Atlantic Ocean.
These rails are tiny, weighing less than a chicken egg, with brown feathers, black legs, and red eyes. The question is: How did this species get there?
According to Martin Stervander, Ph.D., an evolutionary biologist and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oregon, the ancestors of these birds inhabited the remote island approximately 1.5 million years ago.
The closest living relative of these birds, Stervander said, is the black rail (Laterallus jamaicon) of South America.
It appears that these birds’ ancestors once flew approximately 2,174 miles from South America and then landed on Innaccessible Island.
But perhaps most surprising is that the rails of Inaccessible Island have lost their ability to fly.
It turns out this is because they are in a “comfort zone.”
On this island, they can find food – moths, berries, seeds, and worms – by walking on the ground. The island is also free of threats. There are no mammals or predators. So there’s no urgency to fly for safety.
“Over time, due to natural selection, these birds didn’t develop the mechanisms for flight,” said Stervander.
The tragedy of the rail population’s dysfunctional flight system actually represents the decline in creativity and motivation to fight in various professions today.
This era of readily available facilities has practically pushed most professionals into a “comfort zone.” They work in a block free of challenges.
As a journalism instructor, I am more competent to juxtapose this tragedy of declining fighting spirit with current phenomena in the world of journalism.
There is no valid data on the number of journalists in Indonesia currently. (Ranges between: 150,000 (up to 250,000 people and media institutions, around 47,000 publications).
If just one percent of these journalists carried out their journalistic duties—in accordance with the Indonesian Journalistic Code of Ethics (KEJI) under the mandate of Press Law No. 40 of 1999—their contribution to society and the nation would be significant.
Because, these journalists, who truly work as true journalists, would always uphold the ethics and morals of their profession.
They would always be ready to provide the public with the truthful information they have found and constantly control power to maintain honesty.
Unfortunately, that hope has not materialized. “Comfort zones” such as advertorial supplements, ceremonial news contracts from the government, black money from fuel mafias, and small change from routine releases from related agencies, are a drag on news media institutions.
As a result, the tips of journalists’ pens are rusting because they are rarely used to write. Truth.
Riau tops the list with 6,000 news media institutions. This number, of course, is at least directly proportional to the number of journalists for those media outlets.
This means that, in terms of quantity, this many media institutions also become a burden on society. This situation is exacerbated by media managers who allegedly lack journalism skills. “Wings Not to Fly.” Having wings doesn’t mean flying. Claiming to be a journalist, they can’t even “write” news.
This situation can open up opportunities for endless polemics. After all, for me personally, whatever profession one pursues, professional skills must be mastered. A code of ethics is a guideline to guide one while carrying out their profession.
Challenges and needs are the motivations that drive a journalist to soar high using their skills.
But if you’re currently in your “Comfort Zone,” because all the perks are obtained without creativity and without threat, you risk losing your “wings” to fly.
You’ve become a “beggar” journalist who always looks neat, without dignity. What can you do?
Pekanbaru, August 9, 2025
Note:
Drs. Wahyudi El Panggabean, M.H. is the President Director of the Journalist Education Institute, Pekanbaru Journalist Center (PJC) and a Master Trainer for the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).
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