Independent Insight

By Dick Weiss
April 13, 2009

Conventional wisdom can be the bane of business reporting just as much as in political reporting. But good reporters challenge the accepted wisdom. Here are three examples of deeper reporting from the MinnPost, the Voice of San Diego and the Arizona Daily Star.

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3 Many who lose a job decline costly health insurance; will new subsidy do enough to help?
Casey Selix of the MinnPost
Selix questions whether the new federal subsidy for continued health coverage for laid-off workers will have as many takers as has been touted. Selix bases the skepticism on a similar federal program that has had limited success in getting people to sign up.

2Law firms, once solid as a rock, show cracks in downturn
Rich Acello of the Voice of San Diego
Acello reports that expectations of law firms doing well during a recession have been turned upside down these days. Instead of picking up more business, law practices are finding less to do and are laying off staff. Among reasons: Businesses are liquidating instead of reorganizing and credit and real estate markets are in many ways frozen.

His introductory paragraph gets at the fear gripping some firms: “The focal point at many law firms these days is the conference room. Though conference rooms still host pep talks, strategy sessions, and birthday parties, they are also where law firm employees go to be laid off. That's why employees are keeping an anxious eye on the booking of the conference room, especially when a senior partner reserves it on a Friday.”

1 Jobs picture looks darker than official stats indicate
Tim Steller of the Arizona Daily Star
Steller tells us that unemployment figures understate the true numbers of people out of work. As business reporters, we might be tempted to assume that there's no reason to bother pointing out such an "obvious" fact. With the current dramatic rise in unemployment, Steller wisely uses the opportunity of a teaching moment to explain the intricacies of the jobless count.

Copyright © 2009 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism