Covering automated elections,
uncovering campaign finance

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism is conducting 12 training seminars for local and national journalists from print, broadcast, and the web. The seminars deal with how to cover the May 2010 automated elections, and how to probe into the election finances of secretive candidates. The PCIJ is part of the 2010 Pera at Pulitika Network set up by media and civil society groups in cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Beginning December 11, Friday, PCIJ trainors will be holding their fifth training seminar for 20 journalists at the Oxford Hotel in the former Clark airbase in Pampanga. This is a live training blog of the seminar.

Final Day, December 13, 2009

At the conclusion of the three-day seminar, journalist-participants presented the results of their workshop on the issues that confront and confound reporters and editors during elections. The participants had broken up into four groups the night before, and were given a free hand in determining how best to present the concerns about their coverages that they feel need to be addressed.

The participants were encouraged to be as creative as possible in putting forth their message. As a result, some of them showed off their skills in conceptualizing, shooting, editing, and surprisingly even acting, although in a few cases, one is sorely tempted to paraphrase Kipling and declare that journalism is journalism, and showbiz is showbiz, and never the twain shall meet. Kipling was a genius.

Group 1

Group 1
Remie Dillena/Radio Veritas
Maila Ager/Inquirer.net
Elena Luna/ NBN4
Ding Cervantes/Philippine Star
Wyatt Belmonte/Blogwatch

Group 2

Group 2 members:
Reynaldo Santos/ Newsbreak
Ferdinand Patinio/ PNA
Dine Racoma/Blogwatch
Ina Zara/TV-5
Carmela Reyes/Newscore. PDI

Group 3

Group 3 Lydia Colobong/DZWM Catholic Network
Susan Yadao/Aksyon Radyo Pangasinan
Sara Susanna Fabunan/Business Mirror
Khristine Joy Pulumbarit/Philippine Online Chronicles

Group 4

Group 4
Bernice Camille Bauzon/Manila Times
John Carlo Cahinhinan/Manila Bulletin
Wendell Vigilia /Malaya
Amita Legaspi/Gmanews.TV