Economist correspondent calls biz journalism a buoyant industry
Debbi Gardner
Business journalism is a buoyant industry that will be around in good and bad times, says Phoenix-based Economist correspondent Debbi Gardner.
New Zealand native Gardiner visited the Cronkite School to speak to business journalism students about the growing field. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, Gardiner has more than 15 years experience writing for publications like the Economist, the Financial Times of London, Wired News and Business 2.0.
Gardiner has found her niche writing articles that are heavy on trend analysis for the Economist. She told students she often looks at things that are going on in her own life for inspiration. “The most important thing is to follow something that peaks your curiosity, and then to find the data that supports those observations,” says Gardiner.
When pregnant with her first child, Gardiner wondered why there was extraordinary pressure to have an amniocentesis. After looking into the matter more closely she found that the medical recommendations had been recently changed, which led to a bigger story on the trend for the Economist. “I was able to take the bigger trend story, and weave my own experiences into the story,” says Gardiner. These days Gardiner is hot on the trail of following trends in American breast-feeding.
When Debbi is passionate about something, you’ll know about it, says former professor and Reynolds President Andrew Leckey. She just dives in, and follows the story to completion.
When writing a pitch to an editor, do the initial research and make sure you have the numbers to back it up, says Gardiner. She advises journalists to keep pitches to no more than four paragraphs and to keep the writing tight and very specific. While it might seem like you are doing fifty percent of the initial work, you’ll be rewarded by getting the story. Just like a cover letter, you want to hook the reader, says Gardiner.
When starting out students should look into joining organizations like the Society of American Business Editors and Writers to network with other business journalists, says Gardiner. She also says a strong work ethic and flexibility are critical traits for freelance business journalists.
While she works for bigger publications now, Gardiner said that fact-checking is especially critical for freelance writers working for smaller publications. It can take Gardiner up to three hours to fact check her own stories—even for big publications like the Economist. “I sit down with the original documents, and I go over them with a critical eye,” says Gardiner. Enlisting the help of an expert, a fellow journalist, or your original sources to fact check is always a good idea.
While it has its challenges, “Business journalism can be a really lovely thing to write about,” says Gardiner. “There’s a huge wealth of stories to be told.”
