Two Minute Tips

Economy & Labor

Corporate frauds are great topics if you’re careful

Erik Sherman December 16, 2020

I’ve recently binged on watching videos about frauds and con men. There was a 2016 documentary called Sour Grapes, about Rudy Kurniawan, a wine connoisseur with supposedly an impeccable palate

Be honest and forget the hagiographies

Erik Sherman September 30, 2020

There were a lot of bad things about Sumner Redstone and how he ran a business. He could be utterly ruthless. And yet, in the obituaries, what you could see

With a bit of extra effort business journalists can get a much better story out of the jobs report. (Credit: Pixabay user skeeze)

Covering jobs and organized labor

Rian Bosse September 19, 2020

By Adam DeRose Following multi-sector labor strikes, national protests for better wages and working conditions, the rise of both President Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders and their focus on

What to know about the growing gap between U.S. workers affected by covid-19

Dorianne Perrucci August 26, 2020

In October 2019, when the Federal Reserve Board conducted its seventh annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), most adults said they were in good financial health. The economy

Reporting lessons from May’s job numbers

Erik Sherman July 10, 2020

Early in June 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the jobs numbers for May. The media rejoiced as though it were a brisk rain after a drought—which, in

Many Americans make savings one of their New Year's resolutions. This data should jump-start a business story. ("Attack of the Piggy banks" image by "Low Jianwei" via flickr, CC B Y 2.0)

Help readers weigh the pros and cons of 401(k) CARES loans

Dorianne Perrucci June 1, 2020

In addition to economic stimulus checks, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) allows U.S. workers, small business owners, and retirees affected by COVID-19 to take out

More on localizing coronavirus scams

Susan Johnston Taylor May 29, 2020

With millions of Americans out of work and anxieties running high, the National Consumers League warns that a variety of scams could proliferate during the pandemic. Some of these scams

Covering local hiring trends

Susan Johnston Taylor May 13, 2020

The U.S. economy lost over 20 million jobs in April, reports the Labor Department. While millions of Americans have experienced layoffs in the past two months as the Coronavirus pandemic

Add context to covid-19 coverage of nonprofits

Laura Ingalls Fuqua May 11, 2020

Demand spikes at food pantries. Revenue declines at hospitals. Layoffs hit universities and symphonies. Reporters have no shortage of stories when it comes to localizing the financial impact of COVID-19

Localizing state unemployment benefit claims

Susan Johnston Taylor April 24, 2020

The CARES Act extends unemployment benefits to self-employed workers for the first time, but many states are scrambling to keep up with demand from furloughed workers, laid-off workers, freelancers impacted

Localizing the impact of covid-19 on nonprofits

Susan Johnston Taylor April 20, 2020

Just as businesses and consumers are feeling the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nonprofit organizations are feeling the pinch, too. Some may have had to cancel fundraising events

Finding new story ideas during a crisis

Erik Sherman March 30, 2020

I know, I know, if you hear coronavirus or COVID-19 one more time you’re going to scream. The topics are critical right now—lifesaving, actually—but the intense concentration can be draining.