Suburban papers to hold conference call on covering financial crisis

The Suburban Newspapers of America will hold a conference call Monday for reporters and editors interested in learning how to cover the current financial crisis better. The call will be at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.  Dr. Edward Leamer, director of the internationally recognized UCLA Anderson Forecast, is the featured speaker for the briefing and […]

The challenges of the economics beat

David Kestenbaum of National Public Radio talks with Brooke Gladstone of “On the Media” about making the switch from covering science for the past decade to covering the economy. Here is an excerpt: DAVID KESTENBAUM: Sure. I mean, it’s not like physics, right? In physics and science in general I would argue, you are, in […]

Media endorse bailout plan

Julia Seymour of the Busienss & Media Institute writes Wednesday about how the business media fell all over themselves to support the $700 billion bailout of the economy, even though polls showed that the public was opposed to the plan. Seymour writes, “Despite public furor over the bill, the media theme was that it ‘must […]

U.S. News editor asks for reader feedback on coverage economic crisis

Brian Kelly, the editor of U.S. News & World Report, writes in the latest issue that he wants comments from readers about whether the media — and his magazine — did a good enough job in seeking the coming of the current economic crisis. Kelly writes, “Which is not to say that we haven’t been […]

Critic: Time to rein in Cramer, Velshi

Baltimore Sun television critic David Zurawik writes Tuesday that the business media should do something to control what advice commentators such as CNBC’s Jim Cramer and CNN’s Ali Velshi tell people about the market. Zurawik writes, “I really believe American business journalism can do better — and we have never needed it more in recent […]

Buffett speaks at journalist's urging

In Steve Lohr‘s piece in the Monday New York Times that compares billionaire investor Warren Buffett to J.P. Morgan, he notes that it was journalist Charlie Rose who convinced Buffett to talk about his role in the bailout plan. Lohr writes, “Mr. Buffett still speaks to the press only occasionally, and he declined to be […]

Where was the financial press?

Howard Kurtz of The Washington Post writes Monday about the role the business media has played in not warning investors and consumers about the current financial and economic crisis. Kurtz writes, “After being burned by years of cheerleading before the dot-com collapse, the media warned repeatedly that the surge in housing prices might turn out […]

Helping people understand and cope

Ted Vaden, the public editor at The (Raleigh) News & Observer, assesses the paper’s coverage of the current economic crisis after hearing from some of the paper’s readers. Vaden writes, “I think The N&O has done a good job with the hard news coverage but, as the comments indicate, can do better helping people understand […]

The importance of financial news in the current economy

Kathy English, the public editor of the Toronto Star, writes Saturday about how public interest in financial news has soared in the past few weeks. English writes, “Anxiety about the economy in the midst of uncertainty is a story that affects almost everyone at the most basic level of their personal financial security, and the […]

Frantic TV coverage of business news

Joanna Weiss of the Boston Globe takes a look at how television has covered the current Wall Street and economy crisis. Weiss writes, “But one thing became clear amid the breathless, wall-to-wall financial coverage: business news isn’t regular news. Watching a financial crisis play out on TV isn’t the same as watching an anchor in […]