Informing readers about people and companies they don’t know

David Mildenberg, the editor in chief of Business North Carolina, writes about the stories he likes to put in the magazine.

Mildenberg writes, “The key goal of Business North Carolina’s magazine and daily online report is to shine a light on people and enterprises that are making a major impact on the state. Other goals are to reflect the state’s diverse industries and regions, and to explain compelling trends. It’s an impossible, enjoyable task in a state with more than 11 million residents, each with a story to tell.

“My favorite stories inform readers about people and companies they don’t know or understand, but are stirring the drink in important and/or interesting ways. This month’s feature on 25 key female executives is an effort to fill that mission. Stories on bankers Hope Holding Bryant and Kristin Lesher and hospital CEO Cristy Page, among others, are examples of dynamic rainmakers.

“Keep this between us, but journalism is particularly intriguing when the subjects don’t want publicity. Mostly, that’s because they are decent folks who just don’t like the limelight. A tiny minority don’t want the world to know of their success. An even tinier fraction want to get away with something. Normal folks call it prying. But journalists get paid to dig and explain.”

Read more here.