Career
In 1999, Mohamad was named International Editor of the Year by World Press Review magazine. As a writer, Goenawan Mohamad was well known for his weekly column in Tempo, "Catatan Pinggir" (Sidelines), which is mainly commentary and critique on current affairs and the media "headlines". He expressed criticism of one-dimensional, narrow-minded viewpoints and thoughts in Sidelines, which have been compiled into six books
In Sidelines, Mohamad never ended with a definitive conclusion, but always with either questions or open-ended comments intended to encourage readers to continue thinking.
Mohamad was one of the founders of the Lontar Foundation and is on the advisory boards of the human rights group ARTICLE 19 and the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. He is an alumnus of the College of Europe 1966-1967 promotion.