Matthew Haggman of The Miami Herald talked to Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal about the radio show’s place in the current business journalism landscape.
Here is an excerpt:
Q: Talk about Marketplace’s place in business journalism. Is the field getting more crowded?
A: All you have to do is look at Fox Business News to know there are people who want to get in this business space. CNBC talks more analyst talk. That is great, and they do a good job. Our space in the world of business news is accessibility — being able to take those market fundamentals and make people understand why they matter. I did an interview about foreign investors selling off U.S. stocks. People are able to understand what is involved every time they go into a store.
We have to make it accessible because that is what the audience wants. But we have to get it right and must do sophisticated stories because people who work in finance, mortgage business, etc., they listen to us, too. I know they listen because I hear from people who do business.
How do you do that? The first thing I tell a reporter is to ask for help. You have to know what you don’t know.
Q: Where do you get your news and what about the state of not just business journalism, but all journalism?
A: I am an omnivore. I will go anywhere there is news. I read blogs, newspapers and magazines. As so many interested in news are discovering, there is too much out there. So you must develop your own set of filters. I listen to NPR all the time, button preset No. 1.
