Journalists covering cryptocurrencies revealed their best practices when reporting.
Dozens of participants showed their enthusiasm for the academic space that is opening up to bitcoin.
Communicating with good judgment and balance about the global reach of Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies is a challenge. The conversation about how digital assets should be hedged is a topic of debate at international conferences in the niche, but also at universities and study centers.
This is how the International Center for Professional Update (CIAP) of the Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB), in Caracas, Venezuela, opened its doors to learn about the best practices of bitcoiner journalism.
The event had a first and last name: “Crypto and Communication: Ideas that Connect”, held last Friday, October 10. It was a meeting that is part of the Cryptoassets and Digital Economy Diploma, promoted by the Blockchain Academy of the university together with the School of Economics.
At least 60 participants were present, distributed among diploma students, cryptocurrency enthusiasts and panelists from media such as Diario Bitcoin, Criptotendencias, BTC Techno Magazine and our publishing house, CriptoNoticias.
The forum, moderated by journalist Fran Monroy, covered topics such as where to look for reliable information, how to identify false or inaccurate information and how to surf the wave of social networks and influencers to separate the information noise from the sound.
For José Rafael Peña, CoinSpeaker participant and editor, current Bitcoin coverage is evolving rapidly. For the bitcoiner It is no longer a small niche. and has become more professional over time.
“Before it was focused on only specialized media and influencers focused on the topic, now there are many large media outlets, especially financial ones, they have teams for the ‘crypto’ category, just to cover that field,” Peña told CriptoNoticias.
What the communicator describes is linked to the fact that media such as Reuters, Forbes and Bloomberg, just to name a few, have expanded their coverage of digital assets in a few years. Even the Reuters Institute, the journalism research center associated with the University of Oxford, is documenting this media impulse.
This growth has not been without errors. Since the appearance of the Bitcoin white paper in October 2008, the BTC information industry has matured, although some flaws persist as well as virtues.
“There are common mistakes today. One of them is the lack of disclaimers and conflicts of interest that influencers or journalists who cover the industry have. Many do not reveal that they have agreements with companies; one realizes when the majority of their content focuses on said companies. Something very common in Latin America, to be honest,” Peña added.
Among the strengths, the communicator highlights the fact that Bitcoin today is a more open topic, especially in the case of Venezuela. “Nowadays it is difficult to find someone who has not heard or read about cryptocurrencies, which in my opinion facilitates its dissemination.”
Information with value for those new to bitcoin
Among the forum participants, mostly users who are just starting out in the world of digital assets, there were common concerns: security when operating with bitcoin or cryptocurrencies or how to know if you are not falling into a scam.
According to Francisco Toro, bitcoin enthusiast, Each person who gets involved in the ecosystem evolves at their own pace. and is burning stages. However, he stressed:
“Learning must be a constant. Bitcoin is a disruptive technology that gains more adoption every day. That is why it is very important to know how to document yourself to minimize security risks. It is not a matter of trust, it is a matter of verification.”
A similar point of view was that of the participant Cristopherd Alaña, who highlighted the quality content generated by the media, which allows them to gain credibility with their audiences.
“Communication must be sensible and must come as close as possible to reality, to find the truth. If this is done in this way, there will be a development of culture towards bitcoin and digital assets,” he explained.
Alaña pointed out the fact that Cryptocurrency operations in Venezuela are in full growth. According to his point of view, there are more transactions per capita in the country every day.
“There is an expansion in the use of cryptocurrencies due to the economic situation in Venezuela. It is noticeable that there is an incipient development of the digital economy,” added the forum participant.
The conversation left evidence that there is a growing interest in digital assetsbut there are those who doubt which path they should take, according to their own needs.
There are those who look more closely at stablecoins like USDT, as they have gained popularity in the country. However, there are also those who go for bitcoin as an investment instrument or those who are curious about NFTs, self-custody wallets or how to navigate an exchange like Binance.
The truth is that what was experienced during the rainy Friday in Caracas filled the attendees with enthusiasm not only for learning the technology itself, but for the fact that to share the same ideal, to know that there is something great happening and that can transform their lives forever.