Why VC investors are bad for biz media startups

Jessica Lessin of The Information writes about why venture capital investors are bad for business media startups such as Cheddar. Lessin writes, “At The Information, we have been funded by our customers from virtually day one. I’m lucky enough to have been able to get our company off the ground with a small amount of my […]

Coming soon: CNBC for millennials

Alyson Shontell of Business Insider writes about Cheddar, a startup that aims to provide video content about business topics for millennials. Shontell writes, “To do this, Cheddar will stream one to two hours of live content every day, primarily from the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. It will chop up pieces of the videos and […]

A business journalist who thinks about Valentine’s Day in puns

BuzzFeed business reporter Sapna Maheshwari admits she has a weakness for puns. But that didn’t stop her from compiling, along with BuzzFeed design director Will Varner, 14 Valentines with business and financial references. Said Maheshwari: Ok, my explanation is that: While covering new issues of corporate bonds at Bloomberg News, I noticed that many of […]

How business journalism contributed to “The Big Short”

Eileen Li of the Chicago Maroon interviewed Adam Davidson, the co-founder of NPR’s “Planet Money,” who acted as a technical advisor to the movie “The Big Short.” Here is an excerpt: CM: What was the timeline of your involvement with The Big Short as a technical advisor? AD: I was very involved as McKay began writing the script. […]

Georgia paper starts “When I Grow Up” feature in biz section

The Newnan Times-Herald in Georgia is starting a new feature in its business section called “When I Grow Up.” The idea is the brainchild of business reporter Kandice Bell and will feature photos and explanations of what jobs local kids want to have when they are adults. It will start Jan. 10 and run once every two […]

Philly Inquirer business editor rocks out

Philadelphia Inquirer business editor Karl Stark is among the newsroom staffers to rock out in the paper’s contribution to the National Brain Tumor Society’s Air Guitar Challenge. The Inquirer staff donned the finest fake beards for their take on ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” Stark is seen in the video at the one-minute mark, losing his hat […]

An over-reliance on events is bad for business journalism

PandoDaily founder Sarah Lacy writes that media operations that rely too much on events to bring in revenue are hurting themselves. Lacy writes, “An over-reliance on the events business is hollowing out American Journalism — maybe at a faster rate than even sponsored content has managed to. In the process, it’s killing what was a […]

The business editor who took a restaurant reservation

Tony Dobrowolski, the business editor of The Berkshire Eagle, writes about some of the strange phone calls he has handled from readers. Dobrowolski writes, “I frequently receive calls from people seeking information about restaurants I may have written about, and how they can make reservations. One person even left a reservation request on my voice […]

Percent of women covering biz/economics news rises

The percent of women journalists covering business and economics beats rose in 2014 and now slightly outpaces the entire field of journalism, according to data from the Women’s Media Center. Female reporters comprise 38 percent of journalists covering business and economics stories, up from 36 percent in 2013, according to the Status of Women in […]

LA Times revamps business coverage

Los Angeles Times publisher Austin Beutner wrote the following about the paper’s business coverage: Beginning today, The Times is reinvigorating our coverage of California business. Our mission: to chronicle what is happening in the Los Angeles and California economies and their role in national and international markets. We will bring you the business news of […]