Categories: OLD Media Moves

Dial-a-quote economists

Ted Vaden, the public editor of The (Raleigh) News & Observer, writes about the frequency with which economists are quoted by business reporters at the paper.

Vaden writes, “Are there any other economists in North Carolina besides Michael Walden?

“I wondered that last week, after reading the latest story on the recession that quoted the wisdom of Walden, the Williams Neal Reynolds distinguished professor and extension economist at N.C. State University. Walden is the go-to expert for N&O reporters for stories about the economy, and as the economy story consumes the news pages they call upon his expertise more and more frequently.

“Walden’s name has appeared 15 times in The N&O in less than two months this year, including four stories that ran on the front page. He popped up twice on one day, Feb. 8, on the front page and the business page.

“Last year, there were 62 Walden mentions. To be fair, some were public service announcements of his frequent public appearances.”