Tag Archives: SABEW
SABEW shuffles leadership
by Chris Roush
A business journalist scheduled to become president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in 2014 has stepped back from that role, while the organization’s board named a Bloomberg News editor to its executive ranks.
Beth Hunt, manager of editorial operations for American City Business Journals, had been slated to be vice president for the organization, meaning she would have become president in 2014. She is now holding a non-ladder position on its executive committee, according to a post on the SABEW site.
Hunt was actually slated to be the current president, but she had earlier swapped places with Kevin Hall, the national economics correspondent for McClatchy newspapers, who is now the president.
The new vice president is Marty Wolk of MSN Money. Independent journalist David Milstead moves into the treasurer role.
Joanna Ossinger, a team leader on Bloomberg First Word, joins the executive ladder as secretary, meaning she is scheduled to become president in 2016.
Ossinger has been serving as a non-ladder member of the organization’s executive committee and has helped plan SABEW’s annual fall and spring conferences. She has helped coordinate the Best in Business competition.
Read more here.
Jim Cramer and Al Lewis of Dow Jones: Separated at birth?
by Chris Roush
Dow Jones Newswires columnist Al Lewis says that many of his readers tell him he looks like Jim Cramer of CNBC and TheStreet.com.
On Saturday night, the two met at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers‘ event in Washington, DC.
What do you think? Separated at birth?
Seven biz journalists elected to SABEW board
by Chris Roush
Seven business journalists have been elected to the board of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, which also installed a new president on Saturday evening.
The board members elected are:
1.Diana Henriques, a contributing writer to The New York Times;
2. Andrew Leckey, president of the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism;
3. Gary Silverman, U.S. deputy managing editor of the Financial Times;
4. Kevin Shinkle, deputy business editor of the Associated Press;
5. Pamela Yip, personal finance columnist for the Dallas Morning News;
6. Chris Peacock, vice president of CNNMoney.com;
7. James Madore, senior business writer for Newsday.
Henriques, Silverman, Yip and Peacock were incumbents. Lisa Gibbs of Money magazine chose not to run for re-election. Walden Siew of Reuters resigned from the board earlier this year.
Kevin Hall, the national economics correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, took over as president of the organization, which is based at Arizona State University. He replaces Jill Jorden Spitz of the Arizona Daily Star.
Good and bad in business journalism, says Cramer
by Chris Roush
There are some good and bad areas of business journalism, said CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer, and also some areas that could use improvement.
“Business journalism is now everywhere, and just a keystroke away, as it should be,” said Cramer, who was the dinner speaker at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers annual conference on Saturday night.
Cramer said that he thinks that coverage of the intersection of Washington and business is “superb,” but he lamented most of the company coverage in the country. He also was critical of coverage of the Securities and Exchange Commission, calling it “perplexing.”
In terms of company coverage, Cramer told the audience that he used to subscribe to daily newspapers around the country to read their coverage of local companies. That has changed, he said, and daily newspapers no longer provide good coverage of companies.
“I find our coverage of individual cmpanies to not be aggressive enough,” said Cramer, although he noted that there is too much coverage of companies such as Apple, Google and Yahoo. “This is a horrendous development.” Cramer urged business journalists to be more aggressive in their coverage of executives who have mismanaged companies.
Cramer also noted how the internet has changed business journalism, and he defended CNBC’s recent “Rise Above” campaign.
The co-founder of TheStreet.com also admitted that he hasn’t necessarily done a good job always with his coverage, but he said he believed that the industry needed to start a discussion on how to improve coverage.
“The stock market coverage is too bearish,” Cramer added. “We need to be more even.”
During an earlier conversation with Talking Biz News, Cramer said he was a big fan of Bloomberg News and its coverage.
The value of ethics in business journalism
by Chris Roush
The ethical rules of business journalism online should not be any different than the standards for traditional print or broadcast business journalism, said a group of top business journalists on Saturday.
“It’s a lack of common sense,” said Karen Pensiero, assistant managing editor of The Wall Street Journal, about the problems that can occur with business journalim on Twitter or other outlets. “It’s a lack of remembering what our core ethics are.”
Pinsiero, as well as Bloomberg News executive editor Susan Goldberg and Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron were on a panel of journalism ethics at the annual Society of American Business Editors and Writers conference in Washington, D.C.
“I don’t think the standards of accuracy should be any less for online,” said Goldberg.
Baron encouraged the journalists in attendance to use traditional reporting methods.
“One great way is to pick up the phone,” said Baron. “:The problem is that everybody wants to be first.”
Added Goldberg: “Sometimes you even leave the building.”
Baron said, however, that not everything that business journalists post online can be reviewed by editors. Media organizations have to rely on the skills and training of their staff.
Pensiero said she believes that overall online delivery methods such as Twitter have been positive for business journalism and what is being experienced now are “growing pains.” She added that problem tweets from journalists are sometimes flagged by their colleagues.
“What we tell people on social media is pretend like your on television for us,” said Pensiero.
“Pause for a minute” before sending something out, said Baron. “I think that would be great.”
Three biz journalists to be honored at SABEW’s 50th anniversary
by Chris Roush
Three business journalists, including a founding member, will be honored with SABEW President’s Awards at the 50th annual spring conference of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in Washington, D.C., April 4-6.
Founding member Gene Miller, of Boca Raton, Fla., will be joined by Myron Kandel and Martha Steffens. Kandel, of New York City, is SABEW’s only two-time president. He initiated business coverage at CNN. Steffens has held the SABEW chair position at the University of Missouri for the last 11 years.
“These are three giant figures in business journalism,” said Warren Watson, executive director of SABEW. “The three have served the business journalism community for more than 160 years.”
The awards will be presented at a special gala on Saturday night at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel, capping a three-day conference featuring business and government keynoters and dozens of other workshops and sessions. George Washington University’s Marvin Center will be the headquarters for the conference. Speakers over three days include Mad Money’s Jim Cramer, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, the Fed’s Janet Yellen and economist David Stockman.
Miller helped to organize SABEW’s first conference in New York City 50 years ago, initiating SABEW’s signature education event, a tradition that continues every spring. He enjoyed a long career in journalism and other fields, and today still teaches as an adjunct at Florida Atlantic University in Miami.
Miller served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a speechwriter for President Eisenhower, who was running for re-election in 1956. He has been director of 12 companies and been in leadership positions at McGraw Hill, Inc., the New York Stock Exchange, CNA Financial Corporation and the USG Corporation.
Miller’s journalism career began as a reporter, and later editor, of the Greensboro Daily News (N.C.). He also worked for Business Week magazine and Newsday in New York. He has written and edited many books, including the Barron’s Guide to Graduate Business Schools. He was business editor of NBC’s Today Show during Dave Garroway’s tenure as host.
Kandel was once named one of the 10 most influential financial journalists of the 20th century, a fitting accolade for the television-news pioneer and CNN’s founding business and financial editor.
Before his decades-long tenure at CNN, Kandel served as the financial editor of three newspapers – the Washington Star, the New York Herald Tribune and the New York Post – and a reporter for the New York Times, foreign correspondent for the Herald Tribune, syndicated columnist and editor of the New York Law Journal.
Kandel joined SABEW in its second year and holds the distinction of being its only two-time president – in 1976 and 1996.
Steffens enjoyed a long journalism career in various roles, including top editor, before she was named to the SABEW in business and financial journalism chair in 2002.
In her role, she teaches business and financial journalism, as well as organizing seminars for business journalism professionals. Steffens has taught hundreds of workshops over the years, and lectured in Russia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Jamaica and Italy, among other countries.
Before Missouri, she enjoyed a 30-year career in newspapers, including executive editor of the San Francisco Examiner, and earlier the Press & Sun Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y.
SABEW to hold 2014 conference in Phoenix
by Chris Roush
The Society of American Business Editors and Writers, which is holding its 50th anniversary conference next week in Washington, D.C., will meet in 2014 in Phoenix.
The 2014 conference will be held in April, but the dates have yet to be finalized, said executive director Warren Watson.
SABEW held its 2010 conference at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University in downtown Phoenix. It is also the location of SABEW’s headquarters.
“We had a positive experience in Phoenix in 2010, so we will be returning in 2014,” said Watson. “ We’re based here as an organization, so that will help us a lot.”
Marty Wolk, current secretary, has been asked to be the conference content coordinator.
For the 2015 conference, the intention is to discuss a few options back in the East, said Watson, but nothing is really formed at this point. No formal proposals have been made yet for the year 2015.
Seven seeking election to SABEW board
by Chris Roush
Seven people affiliated with business journalism are seeking six spots on the board of directors for the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
The winners will be announced at the SABEW annual conference in Washington, which is April 4 to April 6.
Those seeking board seats are:
• Gary Silverman, U.S. deputy managing editor and U.S. news editor of the Financial Times (incumbent);
• Diana Henriques, contributing writer for The New York Times (incumbent);
• James Madore, senior business writer at Newsday;
• Kevin Shinkle, deputy business editor of The Associated Press;
• Pamela Yip, personal finance and senior/aging reporter, The Dallas Morning News (incumbent);
• Andrew Leckey, president, Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism;
• Chris Peacock, vice president, CNNMoney.com (incumbent).
Those elected will serve three-year terms. You may read the candidates biographies and statements of candidacy here.
SABEW to hold teletraining on covering sequestration
by Chris Roush
The Society of American Business Editors and Writers will hold a telephone conference call next week for business journalists interested in covering angles of the sequestration.
The call will be held on Monday, March 18 at 2 p.m. EST. The moderator will be Bernie Kohn, a former SABEW president who now is an editor at Bloomberg News in Washington.
To sign up for the call, click here. On the day of the call, dial (218) 339-2626 and, when prompted, enter the access code 4058935 and you’ll be put in to the call. Callers may only listen in to the panelists’ discussion, but may submit questions to sabew@sabew.org that will be sent to the moderator for possible inclusion in the hour-long discussion.
Also on the call will be James Politi, U.S. economics and trade correspondent, the Financial Times; David Lightman, McClatchy Washington Bureau, chief congressional correspondent and national political reporter; and Rob Terry, managing editor of the Washington Business Journal.
Nineteen journalists receive money to attend SABEW
by Chris Roush
Nineteen journalists have been chosen to receive scholarships to attend SABEW’s 50th anniversary conference in Washington, D.C., April 4-6.
Funding came from four separate sources – SABEW’s Dave Morrow and Benita Newton funds, plus charitable contributions from the Goldschmidt Family Foundation and the SABEW chair at the University of Missouri, according to Warren Watson, SABEW executive director.
Here are winners of this year’s grants:
MORROW FUND –
· Cassie Cope, student journalist, University of South Carolina
· Matthew Kish, reporter, Portland (Ore.) Business Journal
NEWTON FUND –
(Designated for minority journalists)
· Wendy Lee, reporter, Southern California Public Radio
· Meena Thiruvengadam, independent journalist, Chicago
· Marissa Evans, independent journalist, Milwaukee
· Gabriela Rico, reporter, Arizona Daily Star
· Lisa Du, reporter, Newsday
· Robyn Hutson, student journalist, Howard University
SABEW CHAIR –
(Preference given to 2012 SABEW Best in Business winners)
· Jim Doyle, reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
· Kevin Allenspach, reporter, St. Cloud (Minn.) Times
· Joanna Sullivan, editor, Baltimore Business Journal
· Elvina Nawaguna, reporter, Reuters
· Karen Miller, business editor, Reading (Pa.) Eagle
· Adam Sichko, reporter, Business Review (Albany, N.Y.)
· Megan Schnabel, business editor, Roakoke (Va.) Times
GOLDSCHMIDT FOUNDATION –
· Steve Reiss, managing editor, Crain’s Chicago Business
· Whit Richardson, business editor, Bangor (Maine) Daily News
· Rachel Bonar, student journalist, Missouri State University
· Sarah McBride, reporter, Reuters
