In the new media environment, the role of the expert and impartial trade journalist is more important than ever before. In a world where any individual can become a provider of information via a website or the social media, the phenomenon of fake news has become prevalent. Trusted journalists, who understand the content and can reliably fact-check before publishing, play a critical role in helping the industry understand what is happening.

The 14th edition of CIBJO’s Jewellery Industry Voices webinars focussed on the trade press, looking at the role it plays in the industry and how its members view and understand the current situation. It was entitled “Where are we headed? The view of the industry press.”

The panel included a uniquely qualified and diverse group of speakers, both geographically and in terms of the parts of business they cover and are involved in. These were Rob Bates, Senior Editor and News Director of JCK Magazine and JCK Online, whose blog, Cutting Remarks, has won two Jesse H. Neal awards from American Business Media; Avi Krawitz, Senior Analyst and News Editor at the Rapaport Group, who also is responsible for publishing the monthly Rapaport Research Report; Samit Bhatta, co-owner of the Retail Jeweller Media and publisher of The Retail Jeweller; and Rachael Taylor, a freelance jewellery journalist, whose latest project, The Jewellery Cut, a platform that supports independent jewellery designers, was named as one of the top six jewellery Instagram accounts to follow by The New York Times.

The webinar was co-moderated by Edward Johnson and Steven Benson, and Gaetano Cavalieri, CIBJO President, welcomed the participants.