Bartiromo critiques her work

CNBC star Maria Bartiromo was in Virginia Beach on Tuesday giving a speech at Regent University. She made several comments about business and personal finance journalism that are interesting to note, according to an article in this morning’s Virginian Pilot:

1. “I’m part of the noise� that complicates investment choices, Bartiromo acknowledged. The news she delivers is aimed at a broad spectrum of viewers, she said. “Do you as an investor need every bit of it? No.�

2. One challenge that she and other financial reporters face, Bartiromo said, has been tracking the flow of money into hedge funds and private equity funds, two investment classes that have grown rapidly in asset size but lack the financial transparency of publicly traded securities.

3. Some of her coverage from the stock exchange floor could have been more investigative , Bartiromo said during an interview Tuesday, but she expressed no misgivings. The Brooklyn native said her coverage was rooted in a time that included a long-running bull market and investor expectations of a new era that would be fueled by the Internet.

4. The cost of American companies’ health care plans and the demise of corporate pension plans are topics that she plans to pursue during 2006. “The cost of health care,� she said, “is the No. 1 issue for corporations today.�

Despite her reputation as being simply a pretty face, I came away from reading this article more impressed with her analysis of the business news world than at any other time.