Tag Archives: Educational
Reynolds Center names fellows
by Chris Roush
The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalismhas selected 31 fellows – 16 journalists and 15 professors – for four days of intensive study in business journalism.
The fellows will attend separate, all-expenses-paid seminars Jan. 2-5 at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix. Journalists in the Strictly Financials Seminar learn how to dissect financial statements and SEC documents.
Prospective business journalism professors receive training in how to teach a university-level course in business journalism.
“The professionalism of the applicants for this seventh year of our annual business journalism seminars has been impressive,” said Andrew Leckey, president of the Reynolds Center and the Reynolds Chair in Business Journalism at the Cronkite School. “The demand for quality coverage of business and economic issues continues to grow, with news organizations and universities rising to the occasion.”
The seminars, taught by highly regarded business journalists and business journalism professors, are part of Reynolds Business Journalism Week at the Cronkite School. A highlight of the week is a discussion with the legendary investigative-reporting duo of Don Barlett and Jim Steele, along with the 2012 winners of the Reynolds Center’s Barlett & Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism.
The named fellows can be found here.
Knight-Bagehot program increases stipends
by Chris Roush
The Knight-Bagehot business journalism program at the Journalism School at Columbia University is now accepting applications and has increased the stipend to $55,000.
It previously was $50,000.
The fellowship is open to full-time editorial employees of newspapers, magazines, wire services, and broadcast news organizations as well as to freelance journalists. Applicants must have at least four years’ experience. There are no academic prerequisites. Though some attempt is made to achieve a diversity of backgrounds, the affiliation of applicants is not a factor in the selection process. Journalists from nationally known organizations are not given preference over those from smaller regional media.
The chief criterion for selection is demonstrated journalistic excellence. While essays and letters of recommendation are important parts of the application, the greatest weight is given to work samples. Clippings and tapes need not cover business subjects, and applicants do not have to be business specialists. All materials, including letters of reference, college transcripts, essays and work samples, should be compiled and submitted with a completed application form to:
Director, Knight-Bagehot Fellowship
Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University
2950 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
The program permits fellows to make whatever arrangements are deemed appropriate. Though applicants’ employers, except under unusual circumstances, should submit a letter supporting the application, applicants are not required to obtain formal employer approval. While the program recognizes fellows’ desire to advance their careers, it urges them to return to their current employers at the end of their year at Columbia.
Fellowships are announced by May 1. The deadline to apply is March 1.
To apply, go here.
New guidebook helps biz journalists cover corporate governance
by Chris Roush
A newly released new guidebook shows reporters how to better cover the business world and ways to spot trends in companies’ financial activities that could lead to more impactful stories.
Daniel Guerra of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas writes, “Written by the International Center for Journalists and the International Finance Corporation’s Global Corporate Governance Forum, the guidebook ‘Who’s Running the Company: A Guide to Reporting on Corporate Governance”’ looks at how reporters can look beyond the financial statements and organizational charts of a company and seek meaningful stories on how companies operate.
“An objective of the guidebook is to help business journalists ‘pay attention to companies’ leadership and ask whether directors and management are making the right decisions, and how their actions connect to their company duties.’
“‘Corporate governance is at the heart of what goes right and wrong in business. Understanding it is vital for good business journalism,’ said John Plender, contributing editor for the Financial Times and member of the Global Corporate Governance Forum.
“Among the tips provided for business journalists are how to better define corporate governance, maximize contacts at a company’s stakeholders meeting, and identify potential irregularities in a company’s paperwork.
“The guidebook also provides insight into state- and family-owned enterprises, the compositions of companies’ board of directors and its relationship with its stakeholders, and how to better write stories on financial events and make them more accessible to readers.”
Read more here.
SABEW accepting applications for business of health care seminar
by Chris Roush
Applications from journalists are now being accepted for a two-day fellowship program on the business aspects of health care.
The Commonwealth Fund awarded a grant to the Society of American Business Editors and Writers to develop a two-day symposium in New York City.
The session, which will be limited to 14 journalists selected through an application process, will be held Jan. 17-18 at Reuters headquarters at 3 Times Square, New York City.
The application deadline is Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
SABEW and Commonwealth have teamed up before to offer specialized education in healthcare reporting. It is the fifth such grant the Commonwealth Fund has awarded to SABEW, which has conducted a dozen open workshops and other activities on the business of health care under Commonwealth’s sponsorship since 2007.
“Issues surrounding the nation’s health care continue to be a major business story. We’re pleased that the Commonwealth Fund will be working with us again to help educate reporters and editors in the complexities of the topic,” said Warren Watson, the SABEW executive director who is developing the training program.
The symposium will be geared to expert reporters from media companies nationwide. Participants will be selected by SABEW and an advisory committee, and be given fellowships that cover travel, hotel and other costs for the New York program.
Journalists hoping to attend the two-day seminar should apply by sending a letter of interest and a resume to Watson, SABEW, Suite 416, Cronkite School, 555 North Central, Phoenix, Ariz. 85004. In the letter, applicants should explain their background and interest in the topic and benefits they believe they would derive from participation.
Topic areas expected to be included: Affordable Care Act implementation, state-based healthcare exchanges, Medicare reform, Medicaid, healthcare payment innovation and reform, healthcare data, healthcare bundling and business insurance plans for employees.
Tatge joins SABEW board
by Chris Roush
Mark Tatge, Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University, has been named to the Board of Governors of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
An association of business journalists, SABEW was formed in 1964 to promote superior coverage of business and economic events and issues. Tatge came to DePauw in the Fall of 2011. His long career in journalism includes stints as Midwest bureau chief for Forbes magazine, as an investigative reporter at the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s statehouse bureau, and positions with the Wall Street Journal, Dallas Morning News and Denver Post.
Tatge has written extensively about corporate misdeeds, starting with his coverage of the savings and loan scandal in Colorado during the 1980s. In recognition of his journalistic achievements, Tatge has received the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism, the Society of Professional Journalists’ First Amendment Award, the Morton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business Reporting, and he was honored as the best business writer in Texas by the Associated Press.
He authored the New York Times Reader: Business and Economics and is quoted in newss stories on journalism issues and media matters.
Read more here.
Washington state paper to get biz news content from college students
by Chris Roush
Gordon Oliver, the business editor of The Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., writes about how the business section is now getting content from journalism students at nearby Clark College.
Oliver writes, “Here’s our arrangement: The Independent’s writers will report and write business-related stories that will be of interest to readers of both newspapers. We’ll edit those stories at The Columbian, and both papers will run the stories on the same day. The Independent is published every other Wednesday during the school year, so readers of The Columbian can expect student-written stories on most or all of those days. The student writers also are discussing writing at least one other set of stories just for The Columbian.
“The collaboration began last week with a story about plans for a new science, technology, engineering and math building on the Clark campus. It gives students an opportunity to work with news professionals and brings more readers to their work. The Columbian’s readers benefit from stories by young writers with fresh story ideas. At our meeting, we talked about ideas for stories about business, careers, and money management; deadlines and editing logistics, and — of course — the state of journalism in the future.
“The college newsroom brought back memories of my own time as a college newspaper journalist, in an era when words were pounded out on typewriters and photographers produced black-and-white photos from film in a darkroom. Print had no rival in those days — we sneered at the quality of television news. Ambitious, talented journalists plotted career paths from small-town dailies to the few metropolitan dailies offering decent salaries.”
Read more here.
Cover private companies? Attend this meeting
by Chris Roush
Business journalists are invited to attend a workshop in New York on recent revenue, profitability and employment data for private companies.
The session, which is hosted by Sageworks, will be held Oct. 4 at the Harvard Club from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The speakers will include Brian Hamilton, the CEO of Sageworks, which does financial analysis of privately held companies. Hamilton will talk about new revenue, profitability and data trends in privately held companies and what these financial trends mean for the economy and jobs. Hamilton is an expert on private companies and is currently a guest columnist for Inc. magazine and Forbes.com.
Also speaking will be Giuseppe Gramigna, the chief economist of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Gramigna will discuss current trends and data on access to credit and capital, capital expenditures and labor markets as they relate to small businesses.
The event is free, but please RSVP at 212-683-9200 or register here.
Reynolds Foundation gives $8 million for biz journalism education
by Chris Roush
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation has donated $8.21 million to Arizona State University’s Cronkite School of Journalism to improve news coverage of complex business and economic issues.
Angela Gonzales of the Phoenix Business Journal writes, “Of the $8.21 million going to ASU, $6.21 million will continue the work of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business journalism, which was created in 2003 and has been operated by ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications since 2006.
“The other $2 million will be used to establish a permanent endowment at ASU for the Donald W. Reynolds Visiting Professorship in Business Journalism.
“A Reynolds Visiting Professorship in Business Journalism was launched at the Cronkite School in 2010, providing the opportunity for students to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a distinguished business journalist. In addition to teaching courses in business journalism, the visiting professor establishes partnerships with local business media and contributes to BusinessJournalism.org.
“The new endowment will make the visiting professorship at Cronkite permanent.”
Read more here.
Calame to teach biz journalism at Missouri
by Chris Roush
Barney Calame, a longtime reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal and former president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, will teach business journalism at the University of Missouri as a visiting professor this semester.
A story on the school’s website states, “In 2011 Calame received an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri, awarded to alumni who have achieved distinction.
“‘Barney played a key role in getting The Journal published the day after 9/11 attack forced the staff out of its Manhattan headquarters,’ said Randall Smith, the Donald W. Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism. ‘He oversaw all sensitive major stories, and is viewed as one of journalism’s top ethicists.’
“Calame will visit campus and speak to students several times during the semester. He will help develop a new online publication for business news called Missouri Business Alert and provide input about the School’s business journalism curriculum.
“Calame’s visits are being sponsored by funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, which established Smith’s chair in 2008.”
Read more here.
Biz writing for the web and multimedia
by Chris Roush
If you’re a working journalist, chances are you’re spending more time writing for the web and for multimedia platforms. Learn how to polish your writing skills and hone your writing process, particularly as it pertains to online writing with a Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference call scheduled for Monday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. EST.
This session is designed to help both experienced and up-and-coming journalists.
The moderator is Mary Jane Pardue. Pardue is assistant department head in the Department of Media, Journalism & Film and an associate professor of journalism at Missouri State University. Before coming to Missouri State, she was business editor at The Commercial Appeal in Memphis. Prior to that, she worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the Nashville Banner in Nashville in a variety of reporting and editing positions.
The panelists will include:
- Janet Kolodzy, associate professor, Emerson College. Kolodzy brings more than two decades of professional journalism experience in print and broadcast news to her teaching of convergence-oriented and broadcast journalism courses at Emerson College in Boston. Before joining the Emerson faculty, she was a reporter, writer and producer at CNN International and CNN World Report. She also served as assistant state editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Eric Umansky, senior editor, ProPublica. In addition to working closely on ProPublica’s site, Umansky edited much of the news organization’s financial coverage, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning series about Wall Street. Previously, he worked at Slate. He’s also written, mostly on national security issues for The New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, The New Republic, and elsewhere. Earlier in his career, he was editor of MotherJones.com. Umansky is also a co-founder of Document Cloud.
- Dick Weiss, Weiss Write LLC. Weiss is an award-winning writer and editor with more than three decades of experience at American newspapers. While keeping his day job at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Weiss started WeissWrite LLC in 2003 as a writing, editing and coaching service for anyone with a story to tell. In 2005, he retired from the paper to devote all of his energies to WeissWrite. Weiss and his wife, Sally J. Altman, are also editors for the St. Louis Beacon – stlbeacon.org – a new online journal started in 2008. At the Post-Dispatch, Weiss was a metro editor and writing coach.
For more information contact SABEW board members Kim Quillen or Pardue. Quillen can be reached at quillenkim@gmail.com. Pardue can be reached at mjpardue@missouristate.edu
