Tips on covering the financial crisis

Andrew Gauthier of TV Spy has tips from a handful of local TV newsers on how to cover the current financial crisis.

Here are a couple:

Keep It Simple

“I think keeping it simple and understandable is job one,” says WOIO anchor-reporter Paul Joncich. “Most folks who have stock portfolios have access to much more information than we can provide in a minute and a half of TV time. So I always try to get my financial expert to talk about what this means to Joe Citizen who may not have stocks.”

“I try to cut through the numbers,” says WLS reporter Jason Knowles, adding that he asks the experts, “What is the bottom line for someone like me who has a 401 K and other investments and isn’t savvy on trading?”

Focus on People

“I just did something very simple the other day,” recounts KOB reporter Joe Vigil. “With talk of another recession, and lost jobs, I talked to two people who are out of work. I’m sure others out of work could relate to what those two said… I didn’t get into a lot of details about why the market went down, just let the people speak about the struggles they’re facing now, as the chance that a lot more people could be out of work looms.”

Read more here.