James Russell, who wrote a financial column for the Miami Herald for 42 years, has died at the age of 91.
Elinor Brecher of The Herald writes, “James Russell, a seasoned wire-service reporter when he arrived at the Miami Herald in 1957, used to tell this story about how shortly thereafter, he became the newspaper’s financial editor and columnist.
“Then-Managing Editor George Beebe called Russell to his office, where he found Al Neuharth, assistant managing editor. Neuharth, who’d go on to chair the Gannett media empire, told Russell that he wanted him to write about money and business.
“‘Surprised is not the right word,’’ Russell wrote in a 2003 memoir. ‘I was stunned. I said, ‘You know, I barely know the difference between a stock and a bond.’’’
“That didn’t seem to matter to the editors, who wanted someone with solid reporting skills who could explain finance to ordinary people.
“Russell evolved into a respected voice in the South Florida financial community and a prescient analyst of national trends.
“In his final column for the Herald on Nov. 29, 1998, he wrote about what would come to be called the ‘dot-com bubble,’ which burst two years later.”
OLD Media Moves
Longtime Miami Herald biz columnist Russell dies
July 24, 2013
Posted by Chris Roush
James Russell, who wrote a financial column for the Miami Herald for 42 years, has died at the age of 91.
Elinor Brecher of The Herald writes, “James Russell, a seasoned wire-service reporter when he arrived at the Miami Herald in 1957, used to tell this story about how shortly thereafter, he became the newspaper’s financial editor and columnist.
“Then-Managing Editor George Beebe called Russell to his office, where he found Al Neuharth, assistant managing editor. Neuharth, who’d go on to chair the Gannett media empire, told Russell that he wanted him to write about money and business.
“‘Surprised is not the right word,’’ Russell wrote in a 2003 memoir. ‘I was stunned. I said, ‘You know, I barely know the difference between a stock and a bond.’’’
“That didn’t seem to matter to the editors, who wanted someone with solid reporting skills who could explain finance to ordinary people.
“Russell evolved into a respected voice in the South Florida financial community and a prescient analyst of national trends.
“In his final column for the Herald on Nov. 29, 1998, he wrote about what would come to be called the ‘dot-com bubble,’ which burst two years later.”
Media News
Podcast producer Mannarino departs Adweek
April 25, 2024
Media News
Orange County Biz Journal hires Koch as its editor
April 25, 2024
Full-Time
Wired seeks a senior writer to cover China
April 25, 2024
Media News
Star-Tribune biz reporter Kumar is now community engagement director
April 25, 2024
Media News
Why The Markup joined CalMatters
April 25, 2024
Subscribe to TBN
Receive updates about new stories in the industry daily or weekly.