Archive for September, 2011

Introduction to Covering the Green Economy: Las Vegas, Nov. 4

From innovative products to entire new businesses dedicated to environmental initiatives to the billions in government money earmarked for renewable energy, there’s a mega-cash flow behind the push for a better world.

This workshop, hosted in conjunction with the Association of Alternative Newsmedia, will introduce journalists to the business behind the green economy. The training will be held in Las Vegas on Nov. 4 from 1-4 p.m.

The Sunoco lesson: Explore global angles for fresh stories

Don’t stop at the press release and the typical follow-up on local implications. That’s the advice of Andrew Maykuth, one of my former colleagues at the Philadelphia Inquirer. His story about Sunoco’s announcement last week that it would sell or close its oil refinery in Philadelphia sparked a series of ideas. Andrew’s story refers to Sunoco [...]

On tap Tuesday: U.S. Census briefing on income, poverty, health insurance

Not every census release is germane to business reporters but the one slated for Tuesday certainly is. And it’s the start of a months-long roll-out of household economic data that you can incorporate into future reports, too. At 10 a.m. on Sept. 13, the Census Bureau will hold an online news conference and release national [...]

Web-savvy moms: How marketers tap into a power market

Marketeers call them “power moms” and “mom influencers.” They’re the women roughly age 25-50 with at least one child, and they’re the most sought-after demographic in the United States, with by most accounts more than $2 trillion in purchasing power and even more word-of-mouth clout that can make or break brands. It’s no newsflash, of [...]

Center for Public Integrity founder Charles Lewis: Live chat, Sept. 27

Charles Lewis, executive editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication in D.C., will join us for a chat from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Stop by this hourlong conversation and bring your questions to learn more about investigative journalism and how you can turn your [...]

Editing tactics for dopey leads and other poor writing techniques

As kids, it was fun to ride a seesaw (and occasionally even fall off). As adults, riding the ups and downs of the stock market and the economy is enough to make us sick. (Forbes) Seasoned business editors think they’ve seen it all, until the next dopey lede pops up. We can deal with misspellings, [...]

Tip: Continued reporting helps you ask the right questions

Oregon is one of 24 states that have allowed nonjudicial foreclosures, but that’s about to change, writes Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian. His article, Oregon foreclosures appear likely to shift to the courts, looks at the shift from not requiring judges to be involved to requiring it. Brent writes: “The move is just one of [...]