JAKARTA \u2014 The Siwabessy Hall at the Ministry of Health in Jakarta\nfelt different from the places we used to visit when we were still\nworking journalists. In those days, we sought out health stories. Now,\nwe were finding out about our own health.<\/p>\n
On Monday, 26 October 2026, 175 senior journalists gathered for\nsomething far more fundamental: a health check. Some came with their\nwives or husbands.<\/p>\n
Several colleagues had arrived as early as seven in the morning.\nApparently, when it comes to their own health, even news hounds do not\nwant to miss out.<\/p>\n
The room was filled with older faces. Most were fathers, their hair\nturning white, their skin sagging and their eyes holding decades of\nstories. Yet many were smartly dressed, as if attending the appointment\nof a new editor-in-chief.<\/p>\n
They had covered wars, pursued officials, exposed scandals and run\nnewsrooms. They had even decided what millions of people should read.\nRadio, television, newspaper and tabloid journalists mingled\ntogether.<\/p>\n
Now they were queuing to have their blood pressure, blood sugar,\ncholesterol, heart and eyesight checked. They used to scrutinise the\nworld; now it was the medical world\u2019s turn to scrutinise them.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Senior Journalists\u2019 Union (SWSI), also known as SW60+,\norganised the free health checks in collaboration with the Ministry of\nHealth.<\/p>\n
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Communications and Digital\nMinister Meutya Hafid attended. Our colleagues, it seems, remain adept\nat bringing together two ministries responsible for two basic human\nneeds: health and communication.<\/p>\n
One helps keep the body functioning; the other ensures information\ngets through. Both need regular checks so problems can be detected\nbefore they develop into something serious. The difference is that a\nmistake in a news report can be corrected quickly, whereas a body that\nhas already been damaged is not always so easy to repair.<\/p>\n
Budi Gunadi said President Prabowo had tasked him with raising\nIndonesia\u2019s average life expectancy from 72 to 76 years.<\/p>\n
He highlighted stroke, heart disease, cancer and kidney failure,\nwhich can shorten lives if detected too late. These illnesses require\nserious attention, particularly among older people.<\/p>\n
The Health Minister also shared a simple prescription that does not\ncost much: sleep for around seven hours and 40 minutes a day, exercise\nfor at least 30 minutes on five days a week, and eat in moderation.<\/p>\n
He recommended regular health checks, including through the\ngovernment\u2019s Free Health Check-up (CKG) programme, which has been\nrunning since 2025.<\/p>\n
The advice struck close to home. Senior journalists are generally no\nlonger as strong as they once were. Carrying a camera, running after\nsources, waiting for hours outside an official\u2019s office or standing for\nlong periods in a crowd are no longer easy tasks.<\/p>\n
We used to treat our bodies like official vehicles that could be\ndriven hard all day. Stories had to be finished, pages had to go to\npress and broadcasts had to go on air. Meals, sleep and rest could wait.\nNow, those vehicles are increasingly asking to be taken to the\ngarage.<\/p>\n
Meutya Hafid drew attention to another issue that matters just as\nmuch: journalists\u2019 mental health. She spoke of the psychological\npressures that arise when journalists cover conflict or witness\ntraumatic events.<\/p>\n
Her own experience of being held hostage by an armed group in Iraq in\n2005, while working as a journalist for Metro TV, gave the issue a human\ncontext.<\/p>\n
Covering conflict, facing threats and constantly absorbing bad news\ncan affect one\u2019s thoughts, emotions and mood. Meutya advised journalists\nto take a break between one demanding assignment and the next.<\/p>\n
The advice also applies to retired journalists. Although their staff\nidentity cards may have been put away long ago, some still carry the\nnewsroom in their heads.<\/p>\n
In WhatsApp groups, for instance, the old hands are still busy\ndiscussing the state of the nation. Political polarisation is nothing\nnew. One person criticises the government, another defends its policies,\nwhile a third offers a different perspective.<\/p>\n
There is no need for anyone to slam the group door or send a long,\nangry message. They know one another, understand each other\u2019s field\nexperience and recognise that disagreement is part of democratic\nlife.<\/p>\n
They have spent years debating stories in newsrooms, testing sources\u2019\narguments and even risking their reputations for a report.<\/p>\n
Political differences in the group feel less consequential because\nthey understand that friendship need not collapse over a difference in\npolitical preference.<\/p>\n
Still, long conversations and the habit of constantly thinking about\nthe news need to be balanced with rest. The country can wait for a\nwhile. Blood pressure should not rise along with the temperature of an\nendless debate.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/taking-the-temperature-1793109103", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }