Thoughtful economic coverage in newspapers vs. talking heads on TV

Connie Coyne, the reader advocate at the Salt Lake Tribune, writes Saturday about how coverage of the current economic crisis differs between newspapers and cable television.

Coyne writes, “Even the Web sites of newspapers — which offer breaking news 24/7 — are more reflective than TV or the Web sites of cable news channels. 

“In a week when the Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 20 percent of its value, staying calm would seem to be essential.

“As Terry Orme, Tribune managing editor/news and business, explains: 

“‘There are huge challenges in covering this story. First, it changes — dramatically — almost every day. Just when you think the stock market should be settling down, it does just the opposite. An even bigger challenge is the task of giving readers information that is relevant to their financial situation, to explain how something that is extremely complex affects them. 

“‘Business Editor Michael Limon and his staff have accomplished this by compiling question-and-answer columns. They take the news of the day, get reaction to it from the best financial minds in Utah, and then edit it down into a format that is accessible and valuable. Those Q-and-As, and our other reporting, have been gathered on a personal finance page on our Web site, www.sltrib.com.”

Read more here.