M Ramond Eka Putra Usman is deputy regional coordinator for the professional organization Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. He previously served as the chairman of the AJI in Jambi City, Indonesia. He is an award-winning freelance journalist whose work has been published in Tempo Magazine, CNN Indonesia and IDN Times. He was one of the examiners of the Journalist Competency Test from the Press Council. Ramond also actively collaborates with community organizations on environment, history and culture.
The project trained 15 participants to serve their communities as citizen journalists. They learned how to provide an alternative to traditional media for the public to obtain information and to prevent negative content and hoaxes that often arise from social media.
Ramond participated in the IVLP Project Current Trends in Reporting: US-Chinese Relations A Project for Indonesia, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the American Councils for International Education.
Ramond' s exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "I made many new friends and experiences through my IVLP. By exchanging information and experiences, I increased my knowledge, which then can be used and developed in my activities as a journalist."
Los Angeles, CA; Washington, DC; Honolulu, HI; Minot, ND