Nocera likes to offend readers

Marketwatch media columnist Jon Friedman writes Friday about New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera, a Pulitzer finalist whose columns are well-reported and often take a contrarian viewpoint.

Friedman writes, “There are four stages to a typical Nocera column, as he sees it: ‘I do the reporting. I challenge people. I present a back-story. And I want to provoke you.’

“Nocera has no use for columnists who are afraid to offend their subjects.

“‘What is the point of writing a column if you are just telling people what they already know?’ he asked.

“Giving opinions comes easily to Nocera. He is accustomed to being heard, especially given the fact that he’s the oldest of nine children.

“Nocera also excels at writing about business in a conversational way. While some journalists act like extensions of Wall Street, making points with rampant use of jargon and convoluted language, that’s not true of Nocera. For example, his June 7 column led with this sentence to describe a lawyer: ‘Some guys just don’t know when to shut up. William S. Lerach is one of those guys.'”

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