Covering auto crisis putting strain on Detroit staffs
Detroit news leaders told a National Press Club audience that they are doing their best to cover the auto industry crisis, but their staffs are under tremendous pressure. Changes in technology are providing new ways to reach people, they said, but the demands the technology is putting on reporters are burning them out. And, the […]
Biz media being too kind to automakers and bailout
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs wants to know why the media — with the exception of The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and New York Post — have been so easy on the struggling automakers. Fuchs writes, “You can’t take a hometown news outlet’s spin too seriously in a situation like this. The very […]
Company claims in SEC filings that it has right to review articles
Shahien Nasiripour of Columbia Journalism Review reports Friday that Taser International has stated in SEC filings that two newspapers — the Arizona Republic and USA Today — have given it the right to review articles about the company before publication. The newspapers deny any such an agreement exists. Nasiripou writes, “In two SEC filings, Taser […]
Should there be more coverage of penny stock companies?
Mick Weinstein, the editor in chief of Seeking Alpha, writes Wednesday that the site is reconsidering its policy of not covering penny stocks given that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Sirius XM, among others, now trade below $1 a share. Weinstein writes, “Given this novel situation, our editorial team has been reassessing our rule and […]
Goldman vs. Columbia Journalism Review
Gwen Robinson of the Financial Times notes the battle between Goldman Sachs’ top PR person and Dean Starkman, who critiques the business media for the Columbia Journalism Review. Robinson writes, “Starkman has recently written written posts denouncing the ‘secrecy’ surrounding the government bailout of AIG — secrecy that, among other things, he says, ‘has led […]
ThomsonReuters reports revenue growth
Anick Jesdanun of the Associated Press reports Wednesday that ThomsonReuters reported an increase in revenues for the third quarter despite the current Wall Street turmoil and earnings that beat projections in its first full quarter as a combined company. Jesdanun writes, “Revenue increased 86 percent to $3.33 billion largely because of its acquisition of Reuters […]
GM cancels news conference
Robert Snell of the Detroit News writes Wednesday that General Motors has decided to cancel a news conference at the Los Angeles auto show because the media covering the auto industry is focused on other matters. Snell writes, “The decision appears to underline the automaker’s drastic cash-preserving efforts amid concerns that it could run out […]
Business section story refers readers to ad in next day's paper
Ray Stern of the Phoenix New Times, an alternative weekly in Arizona, writes about a story in the Arizona Republic’s business section on Saturday about retailer Macy’s that mentioned to readers that they could get more information in an ad in Sunday’s paper. Stern writes, “That made me wonder — was publication of the article […]
What a difference one word maks
Hal Morris, writing on his Grumpy Editor blog, notes that a Wall Street Journal article about companies suspending dividend payments omitted the word “several” when referring to REITs that had drop paying dividends. He notes that only three of about 200 REITs have stopped their dividends. The article implied that all of them were doing […]
Dow Jones issues correction after GE stock falls
Reuters reports that rival Dow Jones Newswires issued a correction on Wednesday after it ran a story stating that General Electric Co. CEO Jeffrey Immelt had given earnings guidence for 2009 that caused its stock price to fall. Reuters writes, “The news service said Immelt had been speaking hypothetically when he told a business group […]
