Bob Davis, a senior editor at The Wall Street Journal, spoke about his career at SUNY-New Paltz and how he got into writing about economics, according to a story by Chris Sumano on The New Paltz Oracle.
Sumano writes, “After the publication went out of business, and later working in print, Davis found his way to The Wall Street Journal covering economics. Much of Davis’ experience in the world of journalism came from training on the job.
“‘The last course I took in economics was at Bayside High School in 11th grade,’ Davis said. ‘You can teach yourself an awful lot.’
“Having initially started reporting for The Wall Street Journal on a technology beat in Boston, Davis was asked in 1990 to cover ‘competitiveness’ in Washington, D.C. in the scope of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade, the predecessor to the World Trade Organization.
“Competitiveness, as Davis described it, is the concept of foreign business, its impact on the United States and a ‘totally obscure beat.’ Following his work on the General Agreements on Tariffs and trade, he began to report on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“Davis’ work in financial journalism, especially on NAFTA, turned his eye to international economics. One of Davis’ main interests has been China and the Chinese economy.”
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