Educational Web guide for new business journalists

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has created

an educational Web guide for journalists new to the business beat. Sunshine Inc.: The Basics of Covering Business Organizations offers a step-by-step introduction to some of the basics of business including:

• How companies are formed and the different structures businesses can take.
  
• How corporate structures work.
• How mergers, layoffs and bankruptcies work.
  
• The different types of company relationships and how they operate, including parent companies, holding companies and shell companies.
  
• The different state requirements for business licensing.
• The different types of business regulators like the Securities and Exchange Commission and their different watchdog functions.

It also suggests some great online business resources including the Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval, Yahoo Finance, Hoovers.com and more.

You can read the full guide here.

IMAGE CREDIT: rcfp.org

Mediabistro hosts intro to social media

Mediabistro.com is holding an online introduction to social media course, to help you expand your reach through networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.
The course, being held on Wednesday evenings for four weeks July 29 - August 26, will help journalists learn the ins and outs of social media, and the tie ins that using social media can have to advance career opportunities.
Topics of the online course include web 2.0, blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS feeds, viral video, and social media news releases.
View all the details here.

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.

Deadline for ICFJ personal finance for Hispanic journalists June 8

The application deadline for International Center for Journalists' two online personal finance training courses is now June 8.
Hispanic journalists and U.S. journalists covering Hispanic issues in the U.S. and Puerto Rico can take the courses in Spanish or English from June 15 to September 14.
The courses will teach journalists about credit, lending, housing, mortgages, retirement planning and investing, and other issues.
Three participants will receive a McGraw-Hill Personal Finance Award and cash prizes of US$2,000, US$1,000 and US$500 at the end of the course. The winners will also participate in the McGraw-Hill Forum for Hispanic Financial Literacy.
For more information and online application click here.

Benefit for business journalism & SABEW

Paul Steiger (former Wall Street Journal managing editor and ProPublica founder) and Larry Ingrassia (New York Times Business editor) are hosting an event to benefit business journalism and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW).
The event will raise funds to aid displaced business journalists as well as train business journalists in digital media.
With the money raised, SABEW's plans to remake its job listing site, create a market for freelancers to find work, establish a mentor program for displaced journalists, teletrain journalists on multimedia and business journalism, offer scholarships to attend conferences and training, and revamp its website.
Event Details
Location:
The World Room, The School of Journalism at Columbia University 2950 Broadway; New York, NY.
Time: Thursday, May 28, from 6 to 8 p.m.
RSVP: To sabew[at]missouri.edu by Tuesday, May 26.
Price: The event is free but donations to the SABEW Fund for the Future are requested as SABEW must raise $50,000 by August to qualify for a matching amount from four foundations.