Trading stocks based on biz news

Reuters has begun selling a service that allows people to buy and sell stocks based on news events, according to a New York Times story. Jeremy Peters wrote, “They will give subscribers the ability to mine past and present Reuters news articles in real time and automatically buy, sell or hold a stock based on […]

Seattle biz media missed downfall of mortgage company

Michael van Baker, writing on the Seattlest.com web site, noted that most of the Seattle business media missed noticing the problems that led to the failure of an Eastside mortgage company. The Seattle Times business reporter Elizabeth Rhodes had the story this weekend. Van Baker wrote, “We note that the local business media never saw it […]

Biz journalists remember John Higgins

A number of well-known business journalists have paid tribute to Broadcasting & Cable business editor John Higgins, who died Nov. 20 of a heart attack at age 45, with comments about his skills as a reporter — and a human being. They are posted on the publication’s web site here, but the ones that I […]

Fortune had conflict it didn't disclose

Noted class-action shareholder lawsuit lawyer William Lerach alleges in a letter in the Dec. 11 issue of Fortune magazine that the biz glossy had a conflict of interest that it didn’t disclose in its Nov. 13 cover story about the breakup of Lerach’s former firm. Lerach wrote, “Your article failed to mention that I represent […]

Forbes' Russian edition in huge controversy

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the Russian edition of Forbes magazine is in a dispute with the billionaire wife of Moscow’s mayor that set off a firestorm in the country this week. The December issue was pulled, the editor in chief resigned in protest and Forbes magazine in the U.S. demanded that the […]

Maine paper launching commercial real estate section

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram will introduce a new weekly commercial real estate section in the Dec. 3 edition of the Maine Sunday Telegram in what appears to be a venture closely tied to local real estate brokers. The broadsheet, section-front feature debuts following months of planning between the newspaper and Maine’s commercial realtors. “We […]

Why did biz media criticize Wal-Mart for $4 drugs?

Orange County Register columnist Jon Lansner wonders why Wal-Mart has received so much criticism for its decision to offer $4 generic drugs. Lansner believes much of the criticism has been misguided. He wrote, “I can’t recall any other seemingly consumer-friendly move by a U.S. retailer getting such harsh treatment. Usually, price cuts of any sort […]

Forbes pulled in-text ads after reporters complained

The growing trend of media outlets placing links in stories to advertising for products was explored in the Wall Street Journal on Monday by David Kesmodel and Julia Angwin, and their reporting noted that Forbes.com dropped such ads because journalists felt uncomfortable. Kesmodel and Angwin wrote, “Forbes.com, owned by Forbes Media LLC, tested in-text advertising […]

An analysis of Lou Dobbs

Both Ken Auletta of The New Yorker and Kurt Andersen in New York magazine have a look at Lou Dobbs at CNN and his metamorphosis in the past few years from business show anchor into raging populist. Auletta wrote, “It is the kind of welcome that one might have expected for an earlier incarnation of […]

Salesforce CEO met with WSJ's Steiger about article

Remember last week when we posted a link to a Valleywag story about Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff, who had Wall Street Journal reporter Pui-Wing Tam detained in Hawaii on the site of his new mansion? If you don’t, read here. Valleywag followed up the story, and it turns out that Benioff actually flew to New […]