Keith Hayes - Business Journalism: How to Report on Business and Economics

BUSINESS JOURNALISM

HOW TO REPORT ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

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Keith Hayes

Business Journalism: How to Report on Business and Economics

Copyright 2014 by Keith Hayes

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ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4302-6349-4

ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4302-6350-0

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Apress Business: The Unbiased Source of Business Information

Apress business books provide essential information and practical advice, each written for practitioners by recognized experts. Busy managers and professionals in all areas of the business worldand at all levels of technical sophisticationlook to our books for the actionable ideas and tools they need to solve problems, update and enhance their professional skills, make their work lives easier, and capitalize on opportunity.

Whatever the topic on the business spectrumentrepreneurship, finance, sales, marketing, management, regulation, information technology, among othersApress has been praised for providing the objective information and unbiased advice you need to excel in your daily work life. Our authors have no axes to grind; they understand they have one job onlyto deliver up-to-date, accurate information simply, concisely, and with deep insight that addresses the real needs of our readers.

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The Apress Business Team

This book is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of
journalists worldwide who toil tirelessly and fearlessly,
sometimes in very hostile conditions, to bring
transparency, honesty, and veracity to the stories they
report on, investigate, and write.

Special praise goes to those who have worked
alongside me in difficult situations and volatile
environments and who have become loyal friends and
committed colleagues.

Contents

Preface

This short book was originally meant to be a guide for journalists working in those countries that have recently embraced democratic processes and are transiting to open market economies.

But it is also useful for student journalists, young journalists with little experience in a newsroom, and any journalists who are changing direction from general news reporting to the specialty of business and economic reportingor from print to television or radio. Journalism students will find it useful as a primer for good journalistic practice and as an aid to their studies.

It is a short book, deliberately so. There are many hefty volumes written by others on this and other media topics, which are suitable for those studying journalism at a higher level. This slender tome is designed for those who are already experiencing the rigors of journalistic practicelate nights, early mornings, and interrupted weekendsas well as those students who need a short and simple book to refer to quickly, especially when assignments are due.

It can also help those who have already learned that ill-tempered editors, critical publics, and embarrassments caused by lapses in concentration are the normal pressures of the profession they have chosen. It is designed to assist those who want a book to which they can make quick referencea book that can stay with them when they are racing to meet a deadline, or running after a finance minister who is loath to talk.

This book is a combination of notes on good reporting practice, tips on practical reporting skills, and an assessment of the role of the media in a transitional economy. It also contains suggestions on specific knowledge that journalists should have in generally reporting business and the economy. It is not intended to be a complete instruction book on business reporting. Rather it focuses on those issues raised by many burgeoning journalists themselves. Some of these reporters are already business journalists, and others are those who have recognized the importance to civil society of accurate and impartial economic reporting.