Jakarta, Wednesday (08/07/2026) – Building a career in the world of Journalism is not only about writing articles or interviewing sources. It also offers opportunities to convey information using accurate data, such as in data journalism.

One alumnus of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN)’s Journalism study program, Leoni Alvionita Susanto, shared how she eventually built a career as a data journalist at Katadata.

“As a data journalist, I work on data-based content, ranging from daily content, weekly content, to long-term projects. Usually in the morning I work on daily content in the form of infographics, then continue with weekly coverage in the form of data analysis or special editions,” Leoni told UMN News Service.

“Once a week, we also have a team meeting where we discuss what interesting topics to work on throughout the week,” she added.

For Leoni, ensuring that the data used is accurate is one of her key responsibilities as a data journalist at Katadata.

“One of the crucial responsibilities of the Katadata data team is ensuring that the data used is accurate, because the content we create will be widely used as a reference by many parties, both internal and external,” Leoni said.

How UMN Builds Students’ Career Foundation

Discussing UMN, Leoni shared that the Data Journalism course was one of the most important courses in supporting her career.

“In practice, the most relevant course is Data Journalism. From there, I learned how to find credible and interesting data sources to write about, how to clean, process, and analyze data, and how to present it in interactive data visualizations. Two important tools taught in class that are still relevant to my work as a data journalist at Katadata are Spreadsheet and Flourish,” Leoni added.

Not only in terms of material, but Leoni also found one of her guiding principles to stay in journalism through one of her courses at UMN.

“There are so many valuable lessons! But one quote that stuck with me and that I continue to hold onto is ‘Giving voice to the voiceless.’ I forget which course I first heard it in, but it relates to journalistic principles and ethics. There, we were also taught about the nine principles of journalism, which I think are even more relevant amidst the changing landscape and media independence today,” she shared.

Leoni’s Message for UMN Students

“For me, working in the media industry is full of dynamics that are never boring—and the learning never stops! Going through a series of breaking news, annual events, five-year events like elections, trying new coverage formats that readers/viewers like, continuously building relationships with sources, and covering fields you weren’t previously familiar with but turn out to be enjoyable. Our lives might not be calm because we’ll constantly be monitoring the latest information, constantly adapting, even working while others are on holiday. But that’s what makes this job dynamic and full of challenges, and of course full of opportunities,” Leoni said.

In addition, Leoni also encouraged students not to be intimidated when planning coverage that feels too big. Being a student gives you space to gain valuable coverage experience.

Want to have a career in journalism like Leoni? Come on, build your foundation and journalistic skills with UMN! Register now and take the first steps toward a career in the media industry.

Check out Leoni’s work at Katadata here.

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan program studi Informatika| Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen| Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id