How to chase away business news readers: Mention LIBOR

Allen Wastler, the managing editor of CNBC.com, notes that business news stories last week about the trouble banks are having with their mortgages likely chased away readers by using the acronym LIBOR.

Wastler writes, “But it is a complicated term. It’s an acronym that, when placed in a headline, signals to readers ‘Hey, this may be a hard story to read and understand.’ We may as well put a sparkly graphic in the lead signalling ‘Run Away … Run Away … Run Away …’

“There are other words and terms like that too. Amortization. Yield Curve. Mezzanine Finance. Data is not a good headline word either, although it gets used a lot because it is short and can fit into tight spaces.

“Of course, some words have the reverse effect. See our Eliot Spitzer coverage for some examples.

“Journalism professors will say that it is up to the reporter and editor to come up with a way to tell the important story simply, without the jargon that chases typical readers off. Business journalism is a tough coverage area to do that in, but we try, honest.”

Read more here.