The economy is one of the most important beats for any journalist. It covers prices, interest rates, trade, unemployment, wages, government spending, taxes, etc. Grant Hannis, who spent 14 years as a senior financial journalist at Consumer magazine, breaks down the basics.
Even as fallout from the mortgage market meltdown still reverberates throughout the economy, ominous rumblings suggest that a similar bust in the student loan market could be the next big financial crisis. According to a just-out report by the National Association of Consumer Bankrtupcy Attorneys, for example, 80 percent of respondents report a surge in [...]
Britt Johnsen and Kirsti Marohn of the St. Cloud Times used empty lots to illustrate how the recession stalled new housing developments in a three-part series. Through their reporting, they found their three-county area had 12,000 empty lots. In Avon, a city near St. Cloud, the recession thwarted plans for two developments. In part two, [...]
Punxatawney Phil’s ‘six more weeks of winter’ prognostication lacked a certain punch this year, given the mild winter weather enjoyed in much of the lower 48 so far. If this is winter, bring it on, many residents are thinking. As I donned a light spring jacket to run some Saturday errands and bustled out to [...]
Britt Johnsen and Kirsti Marohn produced a great three-part series called “Gambling on Growth” for the St. Cloud Times using empty lots to show the recession’s impact on new housing developments. The series won a Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists last year. Through their reporting, they [...]
Bankrupt American Airlines on Wednesday revealed a tough restructuring plan that would scrap the pension plan, reduce health care benefits and, as several of my mobile news smartphone apps trumpted, , lay off some 13,000 employees. That’s a blow to a stumbling jobs market and a hit to consumer and worker confidence, though investors probably love [...]
Adam Davidson of NPR’s Planet Money produced an Atlantic article and a two-part segment for Planet Money looking at the loss of jobs for unskilled workers and the growing demand for skilled workers. He explored the issue through Standard Motor Products, a 92-year-old, family-run maker of replacement parts for car engines. In yesterday’s post, Adam offered tips [...]
We may know by Friday if state attorneys general have reached a deal - reportedly worth up to $25 billion – with five major banks accused of deceptive practices that exacerbated foreclosure problems for struggling homeowners. The banks involved are Bank of America, Wells Fargo & Co, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Citigroup and Ally Financial Inc. The [...]
Four years into producing stories on unemployment woes, you may be looking for new angles. The good news is that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has a treasure trove of data that offers fresh insights on your local jobs market.
In this hourlong, live session you’ll learn where to find the local statistics to substantiate the trend stories you are seeing — and find new ones.
Coming off a year with a welcome 10 percent increase in sales, the nation’s auto dealers are prepped for an even better 2012, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). Its “Top 3 factors why U.S. auto sales will increase in 2012″ suggests that aging autos, available credit and plenty of incentives from dealers [...]
