Najwa Shihab

Mata Najwa On Stage, which was held in Jember, East Java last August, has broken the Indonesia World Record Museum (MURI) record for a talk show programme with more than 35,000 participants. Najwa is happy as people – especially youngsters – are more and more interested in law, politics and other hard issues.

“It’s always heart-warming to see people coming to see my show. I am in my element when I am able to listen and ask questions that matter to the public,” said Najwa, who has been a journalist for 16 years.

It never occurred to Najwa that journalism would be her life until today. “You have to take pride in your profession. And as for me, being a journalist is something that I am really proud of.”

Najwa cannot live life without doing research. Her dynamic world makes her feel more alive. “So many things are happening at the same time. And it’s not easy to always keep up with the little things. And as a journalist, I must be able to separate the noise from the voice.”

Recently, Najwa was appointed ambassador for reading by the National Library. “According to a study by the Central Connecticut State University, Indonesia ranks 60th out of 61 countries in terms of reading interest. So, if I am not doing my journalism work, I travel around Indonesia to promote reading.”