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Pakistan Press foundation (PPF) and CIPE Pakistan signed an MOU in April 2006 to express their mutual interest in helping the economic and financial journalists of Pakistan acquire a stronger skill set and improve the available economic information.

To promote quality of Economic Journalism in Pakistan and aiming at strengthening journalists’ economic literacy in Pakistan and equip them to report and write about the major economic issues, CIPE and PPF, jointly organized two training workshops in Karachi and Islamabad respectively on “Understanding and Reporting the Budget Document”. Additionally, to develop a strategic plan and to draw concrete recommendations for the development of the Business and Economic Journalism a Business Policy Roundtable was also organized. PPF and CIPE circulated the participant’s recommendations to the editors of newspapers throughout Pakistan in order to gain more support for economic journalism.

Some of the recommendations which came out at the roundtable were:
Government (Authoritative sources of business and economic information)

• Detailed analysis has to be carried out by stakeholders

•  Editors and journalists should make the full use of trainings and workshops for capacity building of economic journalists.
•  Train only those who are interested in economic journalism. Trade associations should invest in research and interface with media on a regular basis.
•  Business houses and associations should develop their capacities to work effectively with the media.
•  Agriculture sector should be considered as a separate and major stakeholder.

•  Media experts should impart trainings to the young journalists.
•  Steps should be taken by media to improve knowledge and skills of journalists to interpret, analyze and present economic data.
•  Media needs to take steps to communicate economic information to ordinary people and not just to business and economic professionals.
•  Media should significantly follow-up significant economic stories.
•  Code of ethics should be developed on reporting standards.
•  Refresher courses for all levels for economic reporters should be introduced.
•  Businesses should appreciate that media can help them in policy advocacy.
•  All sides of the stories should be reported.
•  Focus on regional and Urdu economic journalism is necessary.

Academicians (Providers of well educated and trained persons to meet the need for economic journalism)
 Economics should be taught in the secondary school level so as to firm the foundation.

• Students of Mass Communications should be given knowledge of applied economics issues.

General Public (End users of the information produced)

•  Greater use of electronic media on economic announcements & notices.
•  Print media should analyze and highlight implications of any economic/financial announcement by government.

Joint presentation by CIPE & Pakistan Press Foundation on promoting quality economic journalism in Pakistan There is a strong need for better economic coverage as Pakistan is one of the fastest growing economies of Asia with average growth rate of 7%+ and global emphasis is also on economic reforms. Due to this, there is a substantial demand for “economic journalists” who can interpret and report economic developments. Read presentation in PDF
Training Module on Analyzing and Reporting Budget Document CIPE organized a one-day training workshop for economic journalists and staff of chambers & trade associations to understand and analyze the budget document.  Read presentation in PDF
Concept paper of business policy roundtable on Quality Economic Journalism in Pakistan With the objective to draw concrete recommendations for the development of the business and economic Journalism, a Business Policy Roundtable is being organized jointly by the Pakistan Press Foundation and the Center for International Private Enterprise on September 14, 2006 in Karachi. Read concept paper in PDF
Business Policy Roundtable Recommendations Following the business policy roundtable recommendations on promoting quality economic journalism, a set of recommendations was derived from the stakeholders.  Read recommendations in PDF

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