“I know more about this story than anyone here, and I’m going to be one of the most upbeat people in the room.” Those were two thoughts going through my head as I drove up to local TV news station, 3TV, this morning in Phoenix. A producer contacted me on Friday, asking if I could [...]
With news breaking that President Obama is ready to appoint a chief for the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, it’s not a bad time for a consumer-oriented package taking a look at the implications of the new bureau along with existing consumer resources in your state. First, the new bureau itself; if you haven’t had [...]
A couple of news tidbits in recent days have highlighted cost-savings and other aspects of generic drugs, which may have you pondering a local story about pharmaceutical manufacturing or development. If the topic of generics hasn’t yet hit your radar screen, here are a couple of reasons why perhaps it should: Proposed legislation. Sen. John McCain [...]
“The spotlight is on the government’s questionable fiscal behavior as it nears its borrowing limit of $14.3 trillion and confronts the risk of a crippling default.” (CNBC) “Converting the debt limit into dollar bills stacked end to end is four times as high as the distance between the earth’s surface and the moon, a money [...]
Fara Warner, a Reynolds Week fellow, is looking for an experienced business reporter to join her team of three full-time reporters and part-time news assistant at The Bulletin / BendBulletin.com in central Oregon. The Bulletin is a 34,000 circulation daily and the business desk produces a daily section and a weekly themed section “Green, Etc.” [...]
I’ve written a bit lately about the ongoing difficulty small businesses are having raising capital; this recent blog post includes links to a Pepperdine University private capital study and other resources for reporting on the tepid financing market for entrepreneurs. If established businesses have a hard time persuading lenders, you can imagine the hurdles facing [...]
So, you got a big pile of documents back from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Now, what do you do?
In the case of Mike Morris of the Houston Chronicle, he wishes he had gotten the original tipster to help him sort through the papers.
There are several techniques you can use to inspire story ideas and get the information you need outside of the official channels. Retailing is a very public business, after all. Everything is laid out inside the store for you to see, if you know how to look. Walk the store Even CEOs make a point [...]
There are several common types of retail stories that you will encounter on your beat. If you’ve been assigned a retail story and are jumping in cold, chances are it fits into one of these models. I’ll give an explanation of each issue with tips on how to approach the story. Trends Trends may come [...]
