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Getting the inside scoop on the Kraft-Cadbury deal
Michael Arndt and Susan Berfield of Bloomberg BusinessWeek successfully take readers inside the proposed Kraft-Cadbury deal through the persona of Kraft Foods CEO Irene Rosenfeld.Michael, a senior editor, says they produced the story in about a week, even though Rosenfeld and others didn’t comment.
Today’s Tip: Talk to everybody, Michael says.
They called all of the company directors, former executives, former employees and even Rosenfeld’s rabbi, he says.
“You have to draw from your experience. I had talked to her in the past and had connections with the company,” says Michael, who previously worked at the Chicago Tribune. “It was time to shake out the old notebooks and get something valuable.”
To make this process even easier, get into the habit of adding your sources into your contact list in your e-mail program. You never know when you may need to reach out to someone again. A savvy business reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jane Von Bergen, also keeps contact information from members of the public who call or e-mail, making it easier to find real people for future stories.
