Expansion of Richmond Times-Dispatch business news desk

John Hoke, the business editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, writes how the paper has expanded its business news desk when others have contracted.

Hoke writes, “In the face of the biggest economic crisis of most of our lifetimes, many newspapers, including some of the largest, responded to the financial pressures by reducing and sometimes eliminating their dedicated business sections. Many reduced — and in a few instances, eliminated — their business news staffs.

“Not The Times-Dispatch. Leading the charge chanting ‘economy, economy, economy’ was Executive Editor Glenn Proctor, a former business editor and business reporter. Instead of reducing coverage, Proctor has expanded The T-D’s business news desk.

“In the spring, staff writer Peter Bacqué joined the desk to cover transportation and energy issues, including electric utilities. This fall, David Ress, a longtime investigative reporter with a wealth of experience analyzing databases and financial records, joined the team as the primary economy reporter. Longtime medical writer Tammie Smith came over to business news to bring a new focus to our coverage of the health care industry, one of the largest sectors of the region’s economy.

“Business reporter Emily C. Dooley will shift her focus to technology and how it affects the way businesses conduct their work and how people live their lives. She also will be working on improving and expanding business news coverage online and through multimedia.”

Read more here.