Karachi – Citibank N.A., Pakistan (Citi) recently hosted the first edition of the Citi Financial Journalist Training(CFJT).
Citi, in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at the Institute of BusinessAdministration (IBA), organized the training for 20 national business and financial journalists. CFJT alignswith Citi’s commitment to building capacity and taking advantage of its global resources to strengthen theknowledge base in the financial industry across the globe.
The course was led by eminent journalist and editor, Mr. Khurram Husain, Business Editor for Dawn. Topicscovered during the 3-Day training included specific challenges in writing business-oriented stories, types ofsources and how to use them, understanding economic reports and documents, liquidity and currencymarkets, important milestones in the Pakistani financial sector, and how to conduct economic interviews.
To bolster the CFJT, several area experts were brought in to additional lectures including CEJ Director Mr.Kamal Siddiqi, a former business journalist himself, on journalistic ethics and reporting, Mr. Shabbar Zaidi,partner at Ferugsons, who shared his expertise on earnings reports and balance sheets, and Mr. ShaharyarNashat, head of legal for Citi Pakistan, who educated participants on the role of the regulator in the Pakistanieconomy.
Additionally, Mr. Salim Raza, former Governor of State Bank of Pakistan, facilitated a session on liquidity andcurrency markets. Mr. Raza’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the economic markets and grasp ofPakistan’s economic realities enhanced an already ambitious agenda for the CFJT course.
Speaking on the need for such trainings, CEJ Director Siddiqi explained, “One of the weakest areas in termsof reporting in Pakistan is business journalism due to the fact that business journalists are poorly trained andare sometimes unable to fully comprehend issues related to finance and economics.
This also translates intocomparatively fewer investigative stories on the financial sector, as well as allied areas like trade, business
and industry. To this end, the Center for Excellence in Journalism tries to bridge the skills gap by conductingcomprehensive trainings for media practitioners.”
Also on the importance of financial journalism training, Mr. Husain emphasized, “Business and economicjournalism differs from other types of journalism because it required journalists to have specific technicalskills on business and economic concepts. Without this foundational knowledge, one cannot be successful inthis beat.”
The course concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony for the participants and closing speeches fromDirector Kamal Siddiqi, instructor Khurram Husain, and Mr. Adeel Shahid, Head of Marketing & Public Affairsat Citi Pakistan.
Mr. Shahid thanked the Centre of Excellence in Journalism at IBA for collaborating with Citi in ensuring thatthe 3-day training was as informative as it was engaging. According to Adeel “The investing public relies onyou [journalists] to provide accurate, time sensitive information which allows them to make informeddecisions. Performing this role will bring accountability and help strengthen the financial system.”