Michael Schroeder, who worked business journalist at The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and The Detroit News, was killed May 4 in a car accident in Florida.
He was 72.
Former colleague Eric Starkman writes, “In the mid-80s, most U.S. publications were facing economic pressures and virtually every publication I applied to had a hiring freeze. I figured the News did as well, so I began emphasizing that I had previously worked at The Toronto Star, then one of the most competitive newspapers in North America.
“The News and The Detroit Free Press in those days were engaged in a bitter battle to put the other out of business, and I wanted to assure Schroeder that I understood the importance of scooping the competition.
“Schroeder let me go on about my virtues, and when I ran out of steam, asked his first question.
“‘What beat do you cover?’
“‘I cover banking and finance,’ I replied, assuming that for a publication based in the Motor City it wasn’t likely a much-needed specialty.
“‘We’re looking for a banking reporter,’ Schroeder replied, explaining that was his beat until his recent appointment to assistant business editor.”
Read more here.
