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Workshop Registration
The Reynolds Center has announced its 2009-10 free workshop schedule.
Select a workshop and register from the drop-down menu below.
Online Seminars
The Reynolds Center registration for Fall 2009 free online seminars.
Hooked on Kindle
By Chris Roush
Tracking the Business Behind the Tomato
By Jonathan Higuera
Five Questions with Bill Choyke
By Jonathan Higuera
Finding the Economy's Silver Lining
By Dick Weiss
Double Whammy: Oil and Housing
By Jennifer Hopfinger
HP Scandal Provides Wake-Up Call for Business Reporters
By Chris Roush
September 25, 2006
There's been a lot of bluster in recent weeks about the disclosure from computer maker Hewlett-Packard Corp. that it obtained phone records of some of its board members and some journalists who cover the company in an attempt to find out who was leaking information from board meetings.
The disclosure should be a wake-up call not only for companies, who need to assess how they work with the journalists that write about them, but also for the business reporters.
Why a wake-up call for the scribes? Because I'd hate to find out that there were some journalists out there trying to obtain information about a company illegally just so they can write a great story. But I'm not naive enough to believe that we're all acting ethically all of the time.
Here are some good rules for business journalists when it comes to reporting tactics:
1 It's OK to accept information and documents from sources within a company, but don't try to force someone to cooperate with you.
2 It's not OK to take documents from a person's desk while visiting a company.
3 It's OK to attend meetings where executives will be present that don't have anything to do with their company and ask them questions.
4 It's not OK to break into a company's phone system -- even with permission from an employee who has given you the code. This got a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter fired in 1998.
5 It's OK to call executives at home if there is breaking news after working hours or on the weekend.
6 It's not OK to misrepresent yourself as someone other than a business journalist to obtain information from a source or interview someone.
7 It's OK to use any and all available public records to ferret out information about a company.
And although it shouldn't need to be said, it's not OK for a business journalist to do what Hewlett-Packard did --obtain phone records of people by posing as that person.
This is obviously not a comprehensive list of dos and don't when it comes to business reporting, but I think it's a good start. If you've got something to add to the list, let me know. Post a comment below!
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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
The Reynolds Center has announced its 2009-10 free workshop schedule.
Select a workshop and register from the drop-down menu below.
The Reynolds Center registration for Fall 2009 free online seminars.
By Chris Roush
Tracking the Business Behind the Tomato
By Jonathan Higuera
Five Questions with Bill Choyke
By Jonathan Higuera
Finding the Economy's Silver Lining
By Dick Weiss
Double Whammy: Oil and Housing
By Jennifer Hopfinger
HP Scandal Provides Wake-Up Call for Business Reporters
By Chris Roush
September 25, 2006
There's been a lot of bluster in recent weeks about the disclosure from computer maker Hewlett-Packard Corp. that it obtained phone records of some of its board members and some journalists who cover the company in an attempt to find out who was leaking information from board meetings.
The disclosure should be a wake-up call not only for companies, who need to assess how they work with the journalists that write about them, but also for the business reporters.
Why a wake-up call for the scribes? Because I'd hate to find out that there were some journalists out there trying to obtain information about a company illegally just so they can write a great story. But I'm not naive enough to believe that we're all acting ethically all of the time.
Here are some good rules for business journalists when it comes to reporting tactics:
1 It's OK to accept information and documents from sources within a company, but don't try to force someone to cooperate with you.
2 It's not OK to take documents from a person's desk while visiting a company.
3 It's OK to attend meetings where executives will be present that don't have anything to do with their company and ask them questions.
4 It's not OK to break into a company's phone system -- even with permission from an employee who has given you the code. This got a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter fired in 1998.
5 It's OK to call executives at home if there is breaking news after working hours or on the weekend.
6 It's not OK to misrepresent yourself as someone other than a business journalist to obtain information from a source or interview someone.
7 It's OK to use any and all available public records to ferret out information about a company.
And although it shouldn't need to be said, it's not OK for a business journalist to do what Hewlett-Packard did --obtain phone records of people by posing as that person.
This is obviously not a comprehensive list of dos and don't when it comes to business reporting, but I think it's a good start. If you've got something to add to the list, let me know. Post a comment below!
Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism