OSCE Mission supports training on economic reporting for journalists

BELGRADE, 31 March 2008 - Reporting on economic issues was the focus of an OSCE Mission workshop for local journalists held in Belgrade on Saturday and Sunday.

The event, for journalists based in Vranje, Novi Pazar, Bor, Pirot, Nis, Uzice, Prijepolje and Sombor, was the last in a series of five workshops on economic reporting. They were organized by the OSCE Mission as part of the "Reporting on Economic Issues" programme, and supported by the Belgian Government. A total of 43 local journalists participated in the workshops.

"Economic texts make the cover pages of both broadsheets and tabloid press in the UK, which proves how important economy is to readers - and it sells newspapers," said Keith Hayes, a former Reuters journalist and one of the trainers.

On the first day of the workshop Goran Nikolic from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce discussed how Kosovo affects the Serbian economy. This was followed by a practical session, led by Hayes, who discussed reporting on transition economies, good journalistic practices and common mistakes.

"Economic journalism is a difficult and serious vocation, and journalists should constantly educate themselves in order to present to the public economic aspects of EU accession, which will impact on the wealth of the country, and of each citizen," said Hayes.

On 30 March, trainers of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) Editors Gordana Igric and Aleksandar Vasovic had the participants to draft texts, and assisted with their editing and publication.