Biz journalists toning down words
RIchard Perez-Pena of the New York Times writes how many business journalists are toning down the words they use when describing the market in the wake of last week’s Wall Street upheaval. Perez-Pena writes, “So in most of the news, stocks have ‘slid’ and markets ‘gyrated’ but not ‘crashed.’ Companies have ‘tottered’ and ‘struggled’ rather […]
NYTimes retracts Morgan quote
Paul Tharp of the New York Post writes Friday that a quote used in a New York Times story about Morgan Stanley has now been retracted. Tharp writes, “The editors of The Times ran an embarrassing note yesterday discrediting one of its most attention-getting stories about the Wall Street crisis: that troubled Morgan Stanley wanted a […]
Which one is correct?
Let’s compare the stories this morning by the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register business desks covering the sentencing of billionaire Henry Samueli for a stock option scam. Times reporter Scott Reckard writes, “Billionaire philanthropist Henry Samueli was sentenced today to five years of probation for lying to regulators about his role in an […]
Critic: Let's call Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac news a "seizure"
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs wishes that the business media would call the federal government takeover of lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a “seizure.” Fuchs writes, “Funny, isn’t it, how a turn of the phrase or slip of the tongue can have such a subliminal effect on our understanding of a business event. Take […]
Using Twitter to find sources and examples for stories
Bob Garfield of On the Media interviews Julio Ojeda Zapata, a technology columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about how he uses Twitter to help in his writing. Here is an excerpt from their conversation: BOB GARFIELD: Give me an example of a story that you were able to flesh out with the help […]
The differences — and similarities — between reporting and column writing
Beth Kassab is the business section columnist at the Orlando Sentinel. She took over the column just more than a year ago after the untimely death of her colleague Susan Strother Clarke. Before that, Kassab had been a business reporter at the Sentinel for seven years. She is an Orlando native and University of Florida […]
Cisco earnings coverage is short circuited
TheStreet.com media critic Marek Fuchs writes Wednesday that media coverage of Cisco’s earnings was either too positive or too negative, and both missed the real story. Fuchs writes, “In that aspect, Reuters treatment of Cisco’s earnings was not as positive as it should have been, failing to recognize the significance of the company’s beating expectations […]
Prose in business writing
Aaron London of the Daytona Beach News-Journal writes Saturday about the literary prose that surprisingly creeps into some business news stories. London writes, “A closer look at some business reporting reveals evidence of a literary bent. “Consider a recent report on Merrill Lynch’s decision to sell off some parts and issue new stock to raise […]
Write great stories; don't worry about awards
In the second part of an interview with Fast Company editor at large Charles Fishman, he walks through the process of turning a magazine article into a full-length book. Fishman also talks about what it took to get his editors to pay for a trip to Fiji, and what he thinks makes for an award-winning […]
A three-time Loeb winner talks about how he does what he does
Charles Fishman is a editor-at-large of Fast Company magazine, where he’s been on staff since 1996. He’s currently on leave from the business magazine to write a book about water, to be published by Free Press of Simon & Schuster. The book idea came from a story Fishman wrote for the magazine about bottled water. He’s taken a magazine […]
