The information that reaches the students has often sailed through reefs of editors and been weathered by biases and simplifications. Students learn from books, social media, and the news and these politicized topics are often detached from reality by the time they reach the students. Bud Wicher is a professional journalist who has been to every major conflict zone of the 21st century, and he has used these opportunities to interview multiple sides of a conflict in his mission to craft a bigger picture. He has decided to visit Sekolah Ciputra once again to give us raw, first-hand information on his life and how the world of journalism functions. During his visit, he told stories of how he had interviewed ISIS leaders and lived alongside the US Marine Corps, and how he’s been to events from 9/11 to the recent war in Ukraine, from which he had just returned. 

Global politics was among the classes Bud visited, and as a student of global politics, I can get disconnected from the human aspect and reality of conflict when viewing it through the lens of theories and texts. Bud’s visit helped with our tests and topics, but most importantly it allowed global politics students to take an important step back and reconnect with the personal nature of human society. The feeling I got walking out of that classroom was the same feeling that one has after visiting an impoverished area or watching an inspiring biographical film; it feels as if one’s perspective is suddenly elevated. His knowledge and insight was what led me to choose a recording of him as my TOK object.

By Sean Colin Chung – Grade 11