A total of 1,030 entries will be considered for awards, bettering last year’s record entry total of 904, according to a press release from SABEW.

“We’re very gratified by this year’s unprecedented level of interest,” said SABEW’s president, Kevin Noblet, a managing editor at Dow Jones Newswires. “It clearly reflects the growing importance of financial and economic news, both to the public and inside the organizations that produce it.”

Winners will be announced later this month, with the awards presented Saturday, March 17, at SABEW’s 49th annual conference in Indianapolis. The conference will be at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. A tentative schedule for the Indianapolis event is on the SABEW site.

David Brancaccio, PBS.

We’ll chat live with David Brancaccio, a special correspondent for Marketplace’s Economy 4.0 and host of the Marketplace Index, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 11:30 a.m-12:15 p.m. ET.

Brancaccio, a broadcaster for 33 years, was previously the anchor of public television’s NOW, an award-winning newsmagazine of investigative reporting and in-depth interviews. He also hosted California Connected.

Before joining PBS, Brancaccio was a Marketplace’s European correspondent based in London. He hosted the public radio program from 1993 to 2003. Among his beats: politics, human rights, national security, the environment, health care, and science policy.

From his Marketplace biography:

“Brancaccio specializes in telling stories important to our economy and our democracy through the eyes of the real people who live in the cross hairs of crucial issues. His accessible yet authoritative approach to investigative reporting and in-depth interviewing earned his work the highest honors in broadcast journalism, including the Peabody, the Columbia-duPont, the Emmy, and the Walter Cronkite awards.

A new version of Brancaccio’s public television special about Main Street as an engine of economic innovation called “Fixing the Future” will soon be a feature-length documentary.  He is author of a book about Americans applying their personal values to their money, entitled “Squandering Aimlessly.”

Brancaccio has a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and a master’s degree in journalism from Stanford University.  He has appeared on CNBC, MSNBC, and BBC television and his newspaper work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the BaltimoreSun, and Britain’s The Guardian.”

Tuesday’s chat will be on CoverItLive.  You can register below and we’ll send you a reminder as the time nears.

Come back on Tuesday with questions for Brancaccio.

Andrew Leckey

Andrew Leckey, president of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, starting in January will no longer be writing his twice-weekly syndicated investment column for Tribune Media Services, which it has carried for more than 26 years.

“While my focus is now on the Reynolds Center and also teaching as the Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the ASU Cronkite School, the Chicago Tribune provided me with a journalist’s dream job,” said Leckey. “I grew up in Chicago reading the Tribune, toured it as a high school newspaper editor, and it gave me the privilege of writing a longtime syndicated column for wonderful readers across the country. I wish the company much success in the future.”

Leckey appears regularly as a financial and economic commentator in national and international media outlets. His professional experience includes being an anchor on CNBC television and the author or editor of 10 books on business and investment topics. In 2003, he became the founding director of the Reynolds Center, which has trained more than 10,000 working business journalists. In 2009, he was named the center’s president and the Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at the ASU Cronkite School. He previously was the founding director of the Bloomberg Business Journalism program at University of California, Berkeley.

His column, called “Successful Investing,” has included straightforward investment strategies and informative commentary on a wide range of personal finance and investment topics. It has drawn a large volume of reader mail. “The Distinguished Service Award in Investment Education” was presented to Leckey by the National Association of Investors Corp. He has won numerous other local and national writing awards.

Leckey was a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Economics and Business Journalism and a fellow of The Media Studies Center, both at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He serves on the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship advisory committee.

According to ComScore, the most-visited retail website on Black Friday was e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc.

Today being Cyber Monday — the e-commerce answer to the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy encouraged by brick-and-mortar merchants — one hot topic is the collection, or lack thereof, of sales taxes on electronic purchases.

If you haven’t covered the topic lately, now is a good time to review your state’s rules and regulations for readers, so they know what they’re liable for reporting come income-tax time in a few months.  And if that doesn’t appeal, it’s still a good peg for nosing around your state’s sales tax policy and data for other interesting angles.

Online retailers’ refusal, in most cases, to be responsible for collecting state sales tax is based on a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Quill Corp. v. North Dakota; essentially the court ruled that companies without a physical presence in a given state are not responsible for collecting taxes on behalf of that state.  The case applied to a mail order firm but Internet retailers have used it as a rationale for  avoiding the complicated task of compiling with dozens of states tax codes plus thousands of local sales taxes where applicable.

But with Internet retailing becoming such a big part of many  households’ shopping patterns, states — cash-strapped on a number of levels, as you know — are becoming increasingly anxious to recover the revenue, which the National Conference of State Legislatures estimates at more than $23 billion for 2012, according to this Sandra Block column in USA Today.  That’s a  lot of foregone revenue.

And it’s not just state governments that are licking their chops over taxable online purchases; traditional merchants argue that the uncollected taxes are, in effect, a discount for online shoppers that puts Main Street retailers at a competitive disadvantage.

Source: National Retail Federation graphic

Check out this National Retail Federation blog post with a snazzy graphic; it outlines three bills in Congress that would address the matter. The NRF’s “Retail means jobs” site also includes state-by-state data on jobs, revenue and wages it says are attributable to the retail sector.  (I’d delve pretty deeply into these numbers, which are based on this PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLC  study commissioned by the NRF. )

I think you can explore these proposed new laws and their pros and cons with online and offline merchants in your area, and with marketing or consumer behavior experts at consulting firms, business faculty at universities and consumers themselves.  Do people really take into account the sales tax evasion when they make a purchase decision?  Do shipping costs offset the competitive disadvantage the Main Street merchants claim?  What do state officials estimate they are missing in uncollected taxes and what shortfalls could that money offset?

Meanwhile, state sales tax collections (and local, if applicable) as an economic bellwether is another tack you can take.  If you’re lucky, your state is very transparent with sales tax data — like this timely and interesting report that Texas issues about monthly sales tax collections by city.  It includes comparable numbers from a year ago and percent changes; the ebb and flow of sales taxes can suggest stories to pursue.  Are tax collections waning because there are fewer businesses, or because existing businesses are selling less stuff?  Or both?  Same for the gainers.  Texas also publishes a weekly summary of sales tax permit applications, complete with the names and addresses of applicants; what a great lede to new or changing businesses in your neck of the woods.

Generally individual corporate sales tax returns aren’t available via FOIA because, I assume, they would reveal proprietary information.  But talk with your state sales tax administrators about what data is available and how it can be sliced.  Sales tax collections by zip code, or type of establishment, or other parameters could make for some interesting approaches.  Delinquent sales tax filers (are some small businesses holding back on paying taxes they owe because they are short on cash) might also be fertile ground.

The discussion came to a head in June, when Washington Post magazine columnist Gene Weingarten used his column — How ‘branding’ is ruining journalism — to say why he’s against journalists taking the time to brand.  It comes from a man I see that has had the luxury to build his personal brand during his almost 20 years at the Washington Post.

Reaction to the Weingarten column was swift, and came from all quarters, including: Steve Buttry, Director of Community Engagement & Social Media, Journal Register Co.; Owen Youngman, Knight Professor of Digital Media Strategy at Northwestern University’s Medill School; Jim Romenesko of the Poynter Institute; Jennifer Gaie Hellum, creator of the Brand Me A Journalist blog; and me, over at the NABJDigital blog.

I have a brand – Aviation Queen – but I didn’t create it. My brand was created by the industry that I’ve worked in since 1992, so I decided to run with it.  After all, I already stand out in aviation as the only female of color covering the industry.  I can’t hide, even if I wanted to.

I bought the domain name AviationQueen.com and use it for my blog. I created a Facebook fan page (which is dormant right now), a Twitter account (@AvQueenBenet) and a Flickr account (Aviation Queen). I have a Google Profile and a LinkedIn page, and I even spent money on my logo (from Julia Edwards Design) and had separate business cards made, via Vistaprint.  So why did I do all this?

• You have unique knowledge to showcase: If you cover a beat regularly, you get to know the ins and outs of your industry, along with its players.  That leads to expertise, which leads to things including speaking engagements;
• Your Company/industry sees you as invaluable: With your knowledge base, you’re seen as an expert and a valuable contributor; and
• Your brand can save you: I learned this up close and personal after I was laid off from Aviation Week last month after a great five-and-a-half year run. Thanks to my brand and social media, I received some great job leads (and expect to be hired very soon) and a healthy amount of freelance work.

I had the pleasure of moderating branding panels at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention and Career Fair in August and at the Online News Association convention in September.

My panelists at both sessions – Natalie ”The Frugalista” McNeal, AP race reporter Washington, Today Show/CNN tech journalist and guru Mario Armstrong, Reuters social media editor Anthony DeRosa and Tumblr media evangelist Mark Coatney – all have their own styles, but there’s something we can learn from all of them when it comes to journalists branding themselves.

The brainchild of David Cohn, founder of Spot.Us, a fellow at the University of Missouri’s Journalism school at the Reynolds Journalism Institute and a Reynolds Center presenter, the carnival is made up of a group of bloggers who write about  journalism and related topics every month on their own blogs.  The posts are then curated on the carnival’s home blog.

” Think of this as a long/slow conversation about a different topic each month,” Cohn writes on the blog.

The first four months of the carnival, which began in January,  were hosted by Cohn.  Since then, we’ve had hosts curate topics including:

• The role of universities;
• Life hacks, workflows, tips, tools, apps, websites, skills and techniques;
• Increasing news sources;
• Carnival of fail;
• Google+; and
• Online video

I’ve contributed most months, and read the carnival every month.  But more importantly, I’ve learned so much from my fellow carnival bloggers, a diverse group of people who are all on the cutting edge of what’s new and different in journalism.

Will Sullivan’s post on life hacks in his Journadism blog in May literally changed how I handle many of my daily work tasks.  The carnival on Google+ came right as I was deciding how I was going to incorporate it into my work life, a process that’s still ongoing.  And it was gratifying to me, an original old-school print journalist, to read that I’m not the only one who is still struggling with the promise – and peril — of online video.

When I first heard about the carnival, I was hesitant.  I wondered what I could add to a conversation that has been ongoing by people more at the cutting edge than me.  But then I thought about my own conversion, from an old-school print reporter who started her career on a typewriter, to a multimedia journalist more than holding her own with the youngsters.

So I not only encourage you to put the Carnival of Journalism on your list of things to read, but join us!  The process is easy.  Join the Carnival of Journalism Google Group.  Look for the email announcing the month’s topic.  Write your post,  put it up on your blog and put links on the carnival website comments section and on the Google group.  I hope you’ll join us!

Cars.com, which is based in Chicago, is looking for a news editor to join the editorial staff who also is able to write original stories and reviews about cars and is also adept at web journalism skills.

The position is as News Editor for for KickingTires, the news channel for Cars.com.

Ideally, the successful candidate will have or be able to cultivate sources in the auto industry, according to David Thomas, Cars.com managing editor.

“You don’t need to know how to change your own oil, but you can explain the differences between a new BMW 528 and BMW 535 to a car shopper,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he needs someone with news and online background and definitely experience in the auto field. He stressed that Cars.com has roots in newspapers and its editorial team is composed of news vets.

From the full job description and application details Editor, Cars.com:

“There will be regular posts recapping news and new product as well as editing other writers and freelancers. We need an editor who is a self-starter and a collaborator: We need someone who knows what’s news, but who can work with his or her editor to shape overall coverage and tone. We need a writer and editor with a clear voice, not just a regurgitator. Of course, we value consumer value, accuracy and timeliness above all else.”

Among the responsibilities:

• Writing and editing daily posts, some aggregation, some original reporting, on the auto industry and product, with a sharp focus on how those events and people are going to affect car shoppers
• Set an engaging tone for coverage, making sure that reports for KickingTires are accurate, nimble and engaging.
• Will either have — or be able to cultivate — a strong network of sources in the industry.
• Travel is necessary for this job. This editor/reviewer will attend major auto shows when appropriate and other events as needed.
• Be comfortable being interviewed by other media outlets (including TV) on breaking industry developments, based on the reporter/reviewer’s analysis of the industry.
• Occasionally manage freelancers on how they’re performing their tasks.
• Drive editorial excellence as part of a team that ensures Cars.com publishes and maintains the most relevant, accurate and current consumer-facing automotive content.
• Be proficient in using web-publishing tools and blog software as well as HTML-editing software and a Content Management System to enter and publish online content. Photoshop skills a plus.

Cars.com is the second largest automotive classified site, second to only Autotrader.com.

Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, which is in turn a joint venture by major media companies including the Gannett Company, the McClatchy Company, the Washington Post Company, the Tribune Company, and Belo. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois.

Twitter Feeds:

PhilAngelides Phil Angelides
Phil Angelides was chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission.

dallasmwells Dallas Wells
Dallas is a community banker and self-described finance nerd.

neilbarofsky Neil Barofsky
Neil was the inspector general for TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program. He’s currently a senior fellow/adjunct professor at NYU School of Law, and a contributing editor to Bloomberg Television.

ckhurley Cornelius Hurley
Conelius is director of the Boston University Center for Finance, Law & Policy. He’s a former assistant general counsel for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

CheyHopkins Cheyenne Hopkins

Cheyenne is a former American Banker reporter in Washington. She now covers Treasury for Bloomberg News.

carney John Carney
John runs NetNet, CNBC’s blog on Wall Street culture.

LizMoyer Liz Moyer
Liz covers investment banks for Dow Jones/WSJ and previously covered Wall Street for Forbes.

CFPB ConsumerFinance.gov
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

calculatedrisk Bill McBride
Bill is a full-time blogger, writing about finance and economics at Calculated Risk blog.

JoshRosner Joshua Rosner

Joshua is a managing director at Graham Fisher & Co. and is knowledgeable on the bank sector.

NickTimiraos Nick Timiraos

Nick covers the housing/mortgage markets for The Wall Street Journal.

paulkiel Paul Kiel
Paul covers foreclosures, housing, etc. for ProPublica.

LizRappaport Liz Rappaport
Liz covers Goldman Sachs and other corners of Wall Street for The Wall Street Journal.
She notes that the opinions she expresses on this feed are hers, not her employer’s.

Steve Rubel is EVP/Global Strategy and Insights for Edelman

We’ll chat live with Steve Rubel, executive VP for Edelman PR, AdAge columnist, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 12:30-1:15 p.m. ET.

Rubel studies the future of media and works across the firm’s practices and geographies to help clients unify their communications strategies across traditional, emerging, owned and social channels. Edelman is the world’s largest independent public relations firm.

In addition, Rubel also acts as a highly visible Edelman representative and writer on media, technology and digital culture. He speaks dozens of times each year around the world and appears frequently in the press. In addition he actively shares his observations and insights through his blog, his monthly Advertising Age column, on Twitter: @SteveRubel where he is followed by more than 58,000 and Google+ where he is in about 40,000 circles.

Rubel has been named to several prestigious lists, including: PR Week’s 40 Under 40 and The Forbes.com Web Celeb 25.

Prior to joining Edelman in 2006, Rubel worked for 15 years in a variety of marketing communications positions in corporate, non-profit and small/mid-sized PR firms.

Sign up for a reminder from CoverItLive.  Then come back with questions.  Rubel will be ready to answer anything.

Photo by Online News Association

About 1,200 journalists attended ONA11 in Boston in mid-September. Unfortunately I was not among them, and probably many of you weren’t either. The good news is that ONA, in true online form, made lots of resources and sessions available free online. I’ve been combing through them, bit-by-bit in my spare time. I haven’t seen all of the available material, but here are five of my favorite practical takeaways so far:

Move beyond Google search. Amy Webb, CEO of Webbmedia, says plain old search is on the way out in favor of smarter searches with more relevant results to individual users. Google itself is giving you different results as you’re logged in, based on your Google+ data. She outlines some great new tools, and some familiar ones with fresh features that add relevance. This entire session is a treasure-trove of what’s coming online, but I’m really interested in beefing up my search habits now.

Check your sources online. Remember all those embarrassing death rumor tweets? Craig Silverman and Mandy Jenkins offer lots of helpful tips and tricks for verifying online sources and avoid getting played.

Make crowdsourcing work. Matthew Wells, Amanda Michel and Derrick Ashong did an interesting session on crowdsourcing. Key points: Engage with users. Build flexible tools. Make it fun.

“Social media is a long-term relationship, not a booty-call.” Liz Heron, social media editor for The New York Times, discusses what journalists get right and wrong about social media in a quick interview between sessions. This little quote she snagged from Felicia Day was a gem, but she also points out that journalists who excel at social media consider it a beneficial part of their work.

Augmented reality is changing everything. The augmented reality session was just really cool and inspiring. You’ll be amazed at how our devices are able to interact with our physical media and the world, and you’ll likely think of a few applications for your newsroom too.

Want more great information and sessions from ONA11? Check out the complete list of ONA11 sessions and the organization’s student newsroom coverage.