The fears of a new biz reporter

Shareen Han, a new business reporter at the Brunei Times, may not be working in the United States, but her Sunday column about her first three months as a business journalist probably sums up the feelings of many new to the beat. So I am going to post an excerpt.

Han wrote, “My first few assignments when I began my foray into the world of reporting were all business related. Some would assume that I have a knack in writing business news. But how wrong they were. I have absolutely no education background nor experience in business. Whenever I come across the jumbled gamut of technical business terms, I get scared out of my wits.Â

“Okay, fine, maybe one would think at least I have a bit of interest in the subject. Hah! Business ranks pretty low in my list of interests. I would happily opt for education, health, politics, sports, social issues or food and entertainment.

“But, enough already, the last thing I want is for my business editor to lose complete confidence in me and announcing that I am `blacklisted’ and never get the chance to write business news any more. That marked the beginning of my worrying experience as a business reporter. My editor announced that I would have to meet prominent businessmen and women.

“The day before my first interview with a huge company in Kuala Belait, I armed myself well with powerful questions, but somehow, I still felt nervous. The feeling of unease accompanied me throughout the two-hour ride to Kuala Belait. Then the moment of judgement came, or should I say D-day? The three top officials I met created a towering presence over me making me instantly intimidated. Definitely not the good start I wanted, but the interview had to commence. Perhaps it was personal insecurities, but I was rather certain that I appeared like an unconfident, inexperienced junior reporter conducting a business interview for the very first time.”

Read more here.Â