New “Bloomberg Way” includes other delivery formats

The latest edition of the “Bloomberg Way” guide to business reporting now includes practices for data and multiplatform journalism, reports Daniel Funke of Poynter.

Funke writes, “The updated version of ‘The Bloomberg Way,’ which was circulated to staff this week, is a departure from the business news organization’s previous version of the guide, which focused heavily on writing for the terminal — Bloomberg’s hallmark product (if you’re unfamiliar with the terminal, watch this).

“‘I think in the previous version we were probably more focused on print news, but this book really tries to address all of the platforms we now have,’ said Jennifer Sondag, co-author of ‘The Bloomberg Way’ and executive editor for global training at Bloomberg News. ‘Whether we’re writing for the terminal or appearing on TV, everyone is following the same standards … rather than these other platforms being on the periphery, they’re really at the center of what we do.”

“In the past, rules in ‘The Bloomberg Way’ were mainly aimed at journalists writing for the terminal, but the new edition includes a renewed focus on applying those principles to the organization’s social, web, broadcast and mobile products. New additions to ‘The Bloomberg Way,’ which Bloomberg News co-founder and former editor in chief Matt Winkler wrote when the division was still an upstart in 1990, include an entire chapter on best practices for data journalism — complete with a guide on how to take information from the terminal and turn it into graphics. It also includes an increased focus on practical advice, such as how to perform specific terminal functions, learning a beat, finding sources and writing about markets.

“Sondag said Bloomberg tries to update the more than 300-page guide every two to three years, and that this most recent update is the first since John Micklethwait was hired as editor in chief a little more than two years ago.”

Read more here.