THERE WILL BE INK - Initiative for Policy Dialogue

Other groups, like the Institute for Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ), have beenestablished specifically to respond to the needs of business and economic journalists. IFEJ, forexample, regularly hosts short-term trainings (perhaps one or two days in length) around a specificeconomic issue, like budget reporting, or a workshop on the oil industry (IFEJ planned to organizejust such a training in the spring of 2009). The conveners and executive officers of IFEJ arejournalists or former journalists themselves, and therefore know what training and expertisepracticing journalists need. Interviewees frequently mentioned Oxfam as another group thatorganized helpful, short-term workshops for journalists.However, while short-term workshops serve a certain niche, and are appreciated by journalists(many of whom were very enthusiastic about IFEJ in particular) most journalists agreed that they donot provide sufficient training for many business and economic reporting topics.– 54 –