Categories: OLD Media Moves

Writing about Wall Street, the person

Tom Reilly, the editor of the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle in Massachusetts, writes about how business journalists often personify what’s going on in the stock market.

Reilly writes, “Adding to the public’s confusion about our national fiscal crisis is, I fear, the manner in which the news media is reporting the issue.

“And I say this speaking as a former business editor, who was hand-picked for that demanding post after my then-publisher came back from a long lunch one day and said, ‘Hey, we need a business editor. Who doesn’t look busy around here?’

“One of the confusing things I noticed about business journalism — along with the fact that, when going on interviews I was sometimes required to wear a jacket and pants that matched, what’s called a ‘suit,’ I believe — was the tendency of my peers to refer to the stock market, or ‘Wall Street,’ as if it were an actual, living person.

“They would write things like, ‘Wall Street was optimistic today about the future of Consolidated Widget as the troubled company announced massive layoffs, sending its stock price soaring.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.

Recent Posts

Reuters seeks a fact-checking editor

Reuters is seeking an experienced editor to take part in our fact-checking project and support the…

2 hours ago

Making financial news more accessible

CNBC Make It reporter Ashton Jackson writes about ways to make financial news more accessible to consumers.…

14 hours ago

SABEW names Best in Business Book winners

The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing announced Wednesday the winners and finalists for…

19 hours ago

Business leaders turning away from traditional biz news outlets

Business professionals are turning away from traditional business media sources such as newspapers, magazines and…

19 hours ago

Wired seeks a reporter to cover tech companies

WIRED seeks a reporter to cover tech companies and their influence, with a particular focus…

21 hours ago

Austin daily hires Leonard as tech reporter

Karoline Leonard has been hired by the Austin American-Statesman as a technology reporter. Leonard graduated from…

24 hours ago