Business Journalism: How to Report on Business and Economics

Business Journalism: How to Report on Business and Economics is a basic guide for journalists working in countries moving to open-market economies, students in journalism courses, journalists changing direction from general news reporting to business and economic reporting, and bloggers. It also explains the differences in technique required for general reporters to deliver business news for text, TV, or radio.

Veteran journalist Keith Hayes, who has worked for such organizations as Reuters, PBS, the BBC, CBC, and CNBC, provides a quick reference to journalistic practice that covers everything from how to meet a deadline to getting answers from company or goverment officials who are loath to talk. It also provides background on specific knowledge that journalists should have to report on the business and the economy accurately and with insight. That includes understanding the major markets and how they work, learning to read financial statements, and getting the story even when a company or government sets up roadblocks.

As Hayes demonstrates, effective journalists are story tellers who need to tell the story well while making certain they are providing the facts as they find them and as they understand them. Among other things, readers will also learn:

How to write a business news story
How to report business news on television
How to report in a globalized business world
The basics of macroeconomics, the financial markets, and company-specific financial data
How to get the story
This book covers comprehensively the basics of business and economic reporting. It’s a book that will remain on your shelf for years to come and help you acquire and cement career-enhancing skills. It will also help you hone your craft as you begin to write more sophisticated stories and take jobs of increasing responsibility.

What you’ll learn
Good basic journalistic practice
How to write an effective business news article
Reporting business for television
Basics of economic reporting and the importance of the census
Understanding financial markets and privatization
Reading and interpreting company accounts