As part of its vision of raising the bar of business journalism in the country, the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) successfully concluded its three-day business journalism seminar which was done in partnership with San Miguel Corp. and the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD).
The virtual sessions, spread over three Saturdays of May, allowed 29 business reporters across 13 news outfits covering almost all the major beats in the business and economic community to listen to lectures that expanded their understanding of how business and the economy works.
The sessions were designed to improve the reporters’ understanding of, and reporting on macroeconomy, capital markets, and commodities.
Participants who successfully attended all of the sessions in the three-day seminar were awarded with a certificate of completion.
“The new normal was a great opportunity for us to refresh and expand our members’ skills in covering various sectors of the economy. This event would not be possible without the gracious support of Mr. Ramon S. Ang of SMC and ACERD lead by esteemed economist Dr. Alvin P. Ang,” said EJAP President Gerard S. de la Pena.
The six-session online course was facilitated by professors from the Ateneo de Manila University, specifically the Department of Economics and the John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) --- former NEDA Chief Cielito Habito, Atty. Cyndy dela Cruz-de los Santos, Ateneo BS Legal Management Program Director Michael C. Tan, former ACERD director Alvin P. Ang, former Ateneo Dean of the School of Social Sciences Dr. Fernando T. Aldaba, and Ateneo Economics Professor Dr. Marisa Maricosa A. Paderon.
“We are seeing a lot of changes on how people consume news. We have to equip ourselves with more knowledge to sharpen our skills, improve our reporting, and respond to the demands of the changing times,” de la Pena said.
EJAP has also recently held virtual training sessions on digital tools and fact-checking in partnership with the Asian American Journalists Association and Google News Initiative.