Journalism instructor understands importance of biz coverage

Joe Moore, a journalism instructor at the University of Central Missouri, will be attending a workshop in January held by the Donald W. Reynlds National Center for Business Journalism to train professors how to teach a business journalism course.

In an interview with Andrea Bartlow of DigitalBurg.com, Moore said, “I want to get a better understanding of business journalism, of what are the most important areas to cover and how to cover them as efficiently as possible. The terminology used by business journalists deals with economic market trends, business practices, etc. I want to be familiar with those terms and in turn share that information with the students.â€?

Bartlow also wrote, “Terry Cunconan, chair of the communication department at UCM, stressed the importance and purpose of Moore’s participation in the seminar.

“’First, it’s important because [Moore] wants to go. I feel and he does as well that this is a good professional development opportunity,’ Cunconan said. ‘As we continue to expand our curriculum, we are considering offering a specialized topics course on the subject, as well as using the information to involve other academic departments and local newspapers.’

“The arrival of big business representatives such as Lowe’s and the eventual opening of Hawthorne Heights Shopping Center will spark an interest and a need for business journalism at its best. Previously the subject did not receive enough attention because, Cunconan said, there had not been a professor interested in it and because adding new classes to the curriculum of an already large academic department is a complicated task.

“‘This is an area where agriculture and industry merge constantly,’ Moore said. ‘And there are lots of newspapers that need to gain a better understanding of the topic in order to cover the two industries efficiently.'”

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