While Southeast Asia has been home to several of the world's fastest-growing economies, many countries of the region have not yet undertaken the wider range of democratic reforms that have accompanied economic development in other Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan. Yet today's global economy demands that to sustain economic growth and enhance their competitiveness these countries must more aggressively address the growing need for accurate and objective economic information. The FGDs brought together groups of 15 to 20 representatives from government, business and media in each of the six capitals. Because the media generally play a critical role in information dissemination, the quality of economic reporting needs to be improved with training, from the development of basic editorial skills to more advanced education in economics.
Media also have a responsibility to report economic information in an ethical and impartial manner.
To Work Building on these FGD findings, CMFR organized a regional conference in Manila in late 1997 at which participants delivered presentations on the flow of economic information in their respective countries and explored practical solutions to common problems.