The new Internet darlings? Repent, ye business journalists

Recent initial public offerings from technology companies such as Facebook Inc., Groupon Inc. and game-maker Zynga Inc. have all disappointed long-term investors in the stocks. Forbes outlined the troubles the three are having in an Aug. 21 story that argued that the tech firms should have considered going public earlier. They’re not alone. The business […]

Quote approval and the business journalist

Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times started an interesting debate with his July 15 story about political campaigns demanding quote approval in exchange for access to top officials – one that caused many journalists to cringe. You can read the original story here, but its most surprising aspect was its narrow focus. The […]

Hey biz media, give credit where it’s due

The New York Times published a front-page piece on Aug. 13 about credit cards and robo-signing. Banks got in trouble for improper reviews of foreclosure documents and now it seems that practice extended beyond the mortgage area at some firms. The article by Jessica Silver-Greenberg alleges that companies like American Express and Discover are using […]

Was Google’s $25 million deal worth all the press?

When Google Inc. announced it would buy travel guide Frommer’s for about $25 million from publisher John Wiley & Sons, the stories about it were numerous and detailed. But was all the attention worth it for such a small deal? Similar-sized deals made by other companies rarely receive more than a brief. And Google has […]

Interview with Blackstone’s Peter Rose

Peter Rose, head of public affairs for private-equity firm The Blackstone Group LP, started his role in 2007 after 20 years at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Rose was tapped in 1996 to start Goldman’s public relations office after serving as a political analyst and lobbyist in their DC office. He moved to Asia in 1998 […]

Progressive’s public stumble

Progressive Corp.’s insurance division has been under fire lately for a public relations disaster, which started with a blog post that quickly spread through the Internet. Matt Fisher, fed up with his family’s treatment by Progressive in the wake of his sister’s death, wrote this post detailing his side of the story. In it, he […]