After the crisis

The Knight Center for Specialized Journalism is offering a seminar called After the Crisis: The New Shape of the Economy from Sept. 13-18.
The seminar, which will be held at the University of Maryland, will focus on how to cover the fast-changing economy. Attendees will get four days of hands-on training in multimedia reporting, learning how to use photos, audio slideshows and video to strengthen stories.
The seminar will also offer experts speaking on the future of the economy, changes to financial regulation, government spending, fiscal policy, consumer issues, the energy sector and green jobs.
The seminar is free and food and lodging are covered by fellowships. Journalists of all mediums are encouraged to apply. Applications are due Aug. 10.
To apply for the seminar, click here.

Our economy's scribble

The New York Times recently created an interesting interactive graphic, taking a page from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in charting the economic cycle and its major turning points.
The chart, reminiscent of drawings in "Harold and the Purple Crayon", illustrates how volatile our economy can be. Using O.E.C.D. data and charting methods, The New York Times actively illustrates the rollercoaster peaks and dips of the economy from the 1970s to the giant fall of May 2009.
Watching the swinging scribbles of the business cycle over the past 30 years (particularly its recent dive) may not be the most comforting thing in the world, but it is enlightening. Following the cues of O.E.C.D economists to simplify data into something visual and trend-revealing was a smart move on the Times part. Making it into a live-action graph that moves was an even smarter one, taking an otherwise complex and alien-looking graph and turning it into an engaging and insightful piece of multimedia.
View the interactive graphic here.

What do you think of the illustration of the economic cycle? What articles or graphics have you worked on lately that simplified complex data? Comment and let us know!

Have an idea for a good blog for The Pulse? Email it to us at businessjournalism@businessjournalism.org.

CHART CREDIT: The New York Times

The downturn reaches a Mongolian goat farm

Today, The New York Times ran an article called "Soft Market for Cashmere Takes Toll in China" that shows the yo-yo effect of the recession from America to China and back again.
The story speaks with goat farmers, yarn factory workers, and sales managers to trace what the drop in America's cashmere demand has meant for people in Mongolia and China.
Accompanying the article is an illuminating piece of multimedia. While a modest slideshow, it tells a strong visual story of the recession's impact on cashmere from a small Mongolian goat farm all the way to Saks Fifth Avenue in New York.
Stories that veer away from the obviously suffering industries (autos, banking, etc.) are more necessary than ever at a time when media organizations can get tunnel vision for the industries frying in the spotlight.
Covering the less blatantly struggling industries not only provides greater coverage diversity but adds detail to the overall picture of the economic recession to show that our problems are more widespread (both in the United States and abroad) than many perceive.
You can view the story here and the slideshow here.

What industries have you covered in the context of the recession? What's a strong piece of business multimedia you've seen? Comment and tell us about it or send it to The Pulse at businessjournalism@businessjournalism.org!

Photo credit: Timothy O'Rourke for The New York Times.

Innovation in job loss

The Boston Globe ran an interesting online story today about airline design innovation.
The story tells how Emil Jacob, a man who recently lost his job at an economics consulting company, came to invent and patent a new airplane seating system to create less cramped conditions for passengers riding coach.
At a time when bad news keeps on coming for the economy and job market, this story highlights the opportunity one man made of his unemployment to follow other interests and better the services of an industry.
Finding positive stories in a dark economic time is a true challenge for business journalists. Yet if it is done well, journalists can give much-needed hope and inspiration to their downtrodden readers.
View the story here.

What stories have you written covering the positive repercussions of the recession? Comment and let us know.

The recession interactive

Portfolio.com, despite its rocky road to survival over the past few months, hasn't faltered in creating outstanding interactive media covering business. Its packages have simplified recent economic issues and put them into context in a clear, visual way.
Take the interactive multimedia with Band-Aids for the Ailing Economy, for example. Portfolio staff created a comprehensive timeline from 1860 to 2008 showing fluctuations in the nation's gross domestic product, wars, financial crises, house majority and major government regulations on the banking industry. This piece not only displays the nuances of what contributes to a faltering economy, but puts today's recession into context in America's financial history.
This multimedia feature achieves what all business coverage should-it takes vast amounts of complex data and facts and serves it to users in comprehensible, chewable pieces.
Some other Portfolio interactive pieces to check out:
Wall Street's Graveyard, Brother, Can You Spare $2?, The Green Miles, Subprimal Headquarters, and False Starts. The graphic Uncle Sam's Growing Portfolio is also worth a look.

To see Portfolio's interactive features section, click here.

WSJ chimes in on press coverage

NPR talks with economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, David Wessel, to chat about the highly-criticized role of media coverage during the financial meltdown on Tuesday's Talk of the Nation newscast.
Listen to the conversation here.