Reflections from Spain

Last Thursday and Friday, I attended a conference at the University of Navarre in Spain on business journalism — led by well-known professor Angel Arrese — that attracted speakers and attendees from across the globe, including Panama, Argentina and the United States.

Here are some reflections:

1. The issues facing business journalism in the United States exist elsewhere in the world, which means that we could be working more closely together to solve our problems. Those issues include difficulty in obtaining information about companies and a resistance from the corporate world in providing information.

2. The demand for training in business and economics reporting is growing around the globe as well. Students and professionals realize that to become better business journalists, they need more training that what they receive in most journalism schools.

3. Academic analysis of business journalism is more advanced in Europe than in the United States. At Navarre, the top private university in Spain, there are a number of PhD students studying economic journalism who hope to take their knowledge to other universities across the globe. I met one from Uruguay who wants to return there and teach and research.

4. There is a concern about ownership of business media in Europe with the purchase of French newspaper Los Echos by the parent company of Louis Vuitton.