How biz journalists must do their jobs

Dean Starkman of Columbia Journalism Review writes Monday about how business journalism should be done to be effective.

Starkman wrote, “And so, business reporting has faced extra responsibilities, even as its financial base has been about as stable as one of those whirling amusement park rides were the bottom drops out and everyone is pinned to the side, screaming.

“These days, financial journalists need to, yes, provide timely information to shareholders, keep readers up to date on new technology, fashion, autos, food, and the like, write boardroom-level features, break news on deals, all of that.

“But to remain relevant to readers, they also need to point out the good actors and go after the bad, no matter how big or mainstream. To me, that’s the main job; everything else is ancillary.

“Basically, business reporters, to survive, must do what they want to do anyway.”

Read more here.