Going against the grain when it comes to business news

Jack McElroy, the editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee, responds Tuesday to the Project for Excellence in Journalism report released Monday that noted that more than one-third of metro newspapers in the country are cutting their business news hole.

McElroy wrote, “Most newspapers have reduced their Business coverage in recent years. We haven’t. We consider business news an important niche that we are committed to filling through our daily and Sunday Business sections as well as the monthly Business Journal and our new website, Knoxvillebiz.com.

“The study also points out that most editors feel the future is uncertain and are hesitant to predict what their papers will look like in five years. I’ll echo that sentiment, though I remain very optimistic about the longterm value of local news and professional journalism. The means of delivering the news are bound to evolve. But people will continue to place value on serious reporting about their communities.”

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