Building the groundwork for business journalism

Rick Bentley of the Fresno Bee profiles Fox Business Network anchor Jenna Lee and discusses how she got into business journalism.

Bentley writes, “College gave her an academic sense of the business world. It wasn’t until after she went to work that she was able to turn the abstract concepts of business into a more realistic picture.

“‘I never really had a fascination with money and numbers. But, as I got into the corporate world, where numbers become people, I could put it all together. I was always interested in corporate policy as to how they can go in and change the dynamics of a community,’ Lee says.

“The final piece of her career puzzle came while doing graduate work in journalism at Columbia University.

“Dan Bigman at Forbes.com told Lee that her background would make her perfect for business reporting. ‘I said, ‘absolutely not,’’ Lee says. ‘Growing up in California, you are a long way from Wall Street. So I never thought about stepping into business hyper-focused on Wall Street.’

“She decided it might be the right way for her future. Along with working at Forbes.com, Lee landed a job as a producer and writer of business news at a New York TV station.”

Read more here.