Online course on reporting commodities opens May 2
The Konrad Adenauer Center for Journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University (CFJ) is now accepting applications for a six-week online course on Reporting on Food and Agriculture to be held from 2 May - 11 June 2005.

The course aims to develop skills on writing about farm topics and will tackle a wide range of issues including environmental degradation, genetically modified seeds, trade policies and disaster reportage. Major global commodity exchanges and their influence on the decisions of Asian farmers will also be explored.

Rene Pastor, deputy editor of the commodities desk of Reuters in New York will teach this course. Pastor has covered assignments ranging from coups and earthquakes and has worked in Singapore and Manila before his assignment to the United States. He also covered the attacks on the World Trade Center and the destruction of the commodity exchange there.

Fellowships are available to qualified and deserving journalists who are full-time staff of a news media organization in Asia. Applications must be received by Monday, 25 April 2005. Application forms may be downloaded from http://cfj.ateneo.edu or requested by e-mail at newsroom@admu.edu.ph and submitted by fax at +632 926 3254.
The CFJ may also be contacted by phone at +632 926 3253 or +632 426 6001 (local 5215).

CFJ, a joint project of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and the Ateneo, was founded in June 2000 to promote good journalism in Asia. It carries out its mandate by providing training opportunities primarily to working journalists in the region. Journalists from the Pacific Islands are also welcome to apply. CFJ training programs include the diploma programs in online and broadcast journalism, certificate courses and a degree program leading to the Master of Arts in Journalism.