Texas paper names new business reporter

Ken Hedler

Ken Hedler has been hired by the Longview News-Journal in Texas as a business reporter.

Hedler writes, “I am no stranger to the business beat. I arrived at work on a Monday two decades ago to learn that editors at a small daily in Northern California had named me business editor. I have covered business at other small newspapers as well, handling tasks ranging from compiling briefs and building stats, to in-depth stories. I have received some honors. I tied for a second-place award for business writing, non-metro division, in the 2003 News Writing and Photo Contest of the Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors for a story on supermarkets competing with convenience stores in gasoline sales. You can Google my name to find samples of my work and find me on social media.

“However, I’ll confess to something that perhaps some readers will hold against me: I never took a business class in college. In defense, I’ll cite Kai Ryssdal, the renowned host of the “Marketplace” program on National Public Radio. I heard him speak at a convention three years ago in which he rejected labeling himself an ‘expert.’ He has been quoted as saying: ‘As soon as a journalist thinks he or she is the expert, he or she is lost. I talk to experts so I can get smart. Only by asking questions can I help listeners understand what they need to know. I am the listener’s proxy. Interviews are not about you and what you know.’

“Covering business requires the same skills as covering a city hall, county government, schools, the statehouse and other beats: a nose for news, an inquisitive mind, and the ability to cultivate sources and ask tough questions. However, the business beat comes with other challenges that do not apply to the public sector. Unless businesses are publicly traded, they are not legally bound to disclose any information about how they do business.”