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Chris Roush, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a senior presenter for the Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, writes a twice-monthly blog for BusinessJournalism.org.
Roush is also Director of the Carolina Business News Initiative and is a former business reporter for BusinessWeek, Bloomberg News, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Tampa Tribune.
Feel free to post your comments related to Roush's opinions and general trends in business journalism!
Warning: Don't Slash Business Coverage
June 27, 2008
What journalists-and managers or media properties-seem to be forgetting is that there is no more important story to tell consumers than that of business and the economy. MoreJune 17, 2008
Chris Roush has found a new way to read business news. And it fits in the palm of his hand. MoreJune 2, 2008
Choosing the name for a business section is an important task. Chris Roush shares his top choices. MoreMay 21, 2008
Chris Roush has watched The Wall Street Journal morph into a different newspaper under Rupert Murdoch. MoreMay 5, 2008
Why is Chris Roush optimistic about where business journalism is heading even in a sea of negative, pessimistic journalists? MoreExplain it Like a Pulitzer Winner
April 14, 2008
When writing about a complicated business topic, think to yourself, "How would Pulitzer Winner Steve Pearlstein explain this?" MoreApril 1, 2008
"Never, ever give investment or financial advice to your readers, viewers or listeners, " rants Roush in his latest post. MoreMarch 13, 2008
Chris Roush asks, "Why don't you dailies start copying what works for the weekly business papers?" MoreSearch and Research: Five Web Favorites
Feb. 26, 2008
When it comes to really manipulating the Internet's search functions and databases, Chris Roush says many business reporters fail to utilize the Web to its fullest potential. Here, he lists his top five favorite Web functions. MoreFeb. 13, 2008
For the future of business journalism, we must realize that the information that attracts readers doesn't necessarily always come from journalists. MoreJournalists: Please Remember Ethics
Jan. 22, 2008
Recent incidents in business journalism show that ethics codes still need some work. MoreAre Newspapers Missing the Mark?
Jan. 15, 2008
With stocks gone and business sections folding into other parts of the paper, Chris Roush questions newspapers' recent decisions. MoreWhy We're Losing Good Journalists
Dec. 28, 2007
What forces a business journalist to leave the profession for a job in public relations or another position in industry? Several factors appear to be at work. MoreResolutions to Ring in the New Year
Dec. 4, 2007
BusinessJournalism.org blogger Chris Roush offers up his resolutions for the New Year tailored to make your business coverage stronger and smarter in 2008. MoreRoush Giftbag: Cool Business Features
Nov. 20, 2007
BusinessJournalism blogger Chris Roush shares yuletide generosity by pointing readers to five business features he finds amusing and fun. Oh yeah, they keep him coming back. MoreNew Business Journalism Ventures Fill a Void
Nov. 6, 2007
What the critics fail to acknowledge is a consumer desire for more business and economics coverage, asserts BusinessJournalism.org blogger Chris Roush. MoreOct. 26, 2007
Business reporters too often fall for corporate P.R. as legitimate news, especially if it's delivered as an exclusive, says BusinessJournalism.org blogger Chris Roush. Worse yet, some media outlets are using the same corporate tactics to promote themselves. MoreOct. 8, 2007
BusinessJournalism.org blogger Chris Roush offers up his thoughts on coverage areas Rupert Murdoch’s new Fox Business Network could zero in on to distinguish itself from the pack. For that matter so could CNBC. MoreNew Ventures Need DepthTo Gain This Reader's Time
Oct. 1, 2007
Fox Business Network, Conde Nast Portfolio and WSJ's Pursuits magazine among the new entries. Just which one will gain blogger Chris Roush's precious time and loyalty depends on which will provide more in-depth, quality journalism. More
Hard-hitting Reporting Needed During Boom
Sept. 4, 2007
More critical reporting on mortgage lending was needed during the housing boom rather than the current Monday-morning quarterbacking going on now, says BusinessJournalism.org blogger Chris Roush. More
Finding Ways to Beat Summer Doldrums
August 17, 2007
The dog days of summer are a time when many business journalists take vacations because the news flow tends to be slower. But I'd argue that the summer is also a good time for a business reporter to work on improving skills and becoming a better journalist. More
News Corp. Deal with Dow Jones Got Too Much Ink
August 6, 2007
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch's $5 billion agreement to acquire Dow Jones & Co. signals a glaring problem with business journalism today. More
Time Has Arrived to Step Up Non-Profit Coverage
July 19, 2007
Now is the time for all business desks to think about improving their non-profit coverage. Non-profits have six months after the end of their fiscal year to file the Form 990 with the Internal Revenue Service. More
Newsroom Reorganizations Provide Business Education Opportunity
July 2, 2007
I hope that the business reporters and editors take reorganization as an opportunity to educate their brethren who have never written about finance. More
Some Aspects of Business Journalism Need Improvement
June 14, 2007
I like a lot of what I see in business journalism. But there are many things that I don't like as well. Here are some of the things that bother me in the world of business journalism. More
Magazine Should Stick to Business Journalism Basics
May 23, 2007
The debut of the new business magazine Conde Nast Portfolio means many good things for the business journalism field. But I have a problem with what I read from the first issue. More
May 8, 2007
The Philadelphia Inquirer's decision to couple space paid for by advertisers with independently gathered news threatens the integrity of newspapers. More
Columnist Resignation Shows Guidelines are Needed
April 10, 2007
The resignation in early April of Marketwatch tech columnist Bambi Francisco after it was disclosed that she had been allowed to start a tech company on the side while still writing for the business news Web site should be a wake up call for business journalism. More
Student's Work Shames Business Press
March 28, 2007
An enterprising college student's look at SEC filings on a merger between the nation's largest pork producers may bode well for the future but weak news coverage of the deal has troubling implications, says Chris Roush. More
Heeding Lessons Already Learned
March 6, 2007
The recent coverage of deals such as Google buying YouTube, XM Satellite Radio and Sirius joining forces and others has me wondering about something: Have business journalists forgotten about the 1990s? More
Bartiromo's Plane Ride Raises Ethical Questions
February 15, 2007
CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo's $50,000 plane ride from China on a Citigroup jet sparks an ethics debate among business journalists. More
Record Bonuses Should Raise Compensation Radar for Business Journalists
January 31, 2007
Recent coverage of multi-million dollar bonuses given to the CEOs of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs should serve as a warning to business journalists to pay more attention to compensation in the coming months. More
Big-Time Business Journalism Fails in Company Coverage
January 2, 2007
The differences between business journalism organizations in New York and other major metropolitan outlets and those in smaller cities and towns sometimes gets lost when those who talk and think about business reporting get together. More
Place These Gifts under the Business Journalist's Tree
December 7, 2006
Now that the gift-giving season is upon us, I've been reflecting on what would make a good present for a business journalist. Here are some ideas -- real and imagined -- if you're struggling to find that perfect idea. More
Deliver Unique Reporting Angles to Readers this Holiday Season
November 13, 2006
With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, here is what's on my wish list: Retail shopping stories that take unusual angles to what has become a tried and often boring story. More
Give Average Consumers a Voice to Liven Up Economic Reporting
October 24, 2006
As the students in my Economics Reporting class will tell you, there is one pet peeve I have when it comes to writing about unemployment, inflation, consumer confidence and other basic stories about the economy: Too many of them only quote economists. More
Annual Comparisons, Shopper Perspective Help Bolster Retail Reporting
October 11, 2006
Here's what bothers me when I read retail sales stories: They compare the results to the wrong time period, and too many of them quote economists instead of shoppers. More
HP Scandal Provides Wake-Up Call for Business Reporters
September 25, 2006
The disclosure (that HP obtained phone records of some of its board members and some journalists) should be a wake-up call not only for companies, who need to assess how they work with the journalists that write about them, but also for the business reporters. More
Exercise Caution with Ad Placement on Front Pages of Business Section
September 11, 2006
The announcements this summer by major newspapers such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and The Sun in Baltimore that they will start selling advertising on the front page of their business sections troubles me, but not for the reasons you might expect. More
Adopt Essential Earnings Writing Rules
August 22, 2006
Late July and early August is prime earnings season, when companies whose fiscal year coincides with the calendar year have reported second-quarter earnings. And earnings stories are the bread and butter of business journalists. More
Breaking Business News Online Helps to Win Readership
August 7, 2006
I'm surprised lately at how many newspaper business sections I look at online and still see, particularly late in the afternoon, headlines and stories from that morning's paper instead of breaking news. More
Make Plans Now for Business Journalism Interns
July 24, 2006
I'm often amazed at how little the business journalism profession does to try to promote the field. One of the best things that it can do is offer internships, yet few pros understand that the summer is too late to be making such decisions. More
Steps Business Reporters Should Take to Avoid the Next Enron
June 27, 2006
For the past five years, the name of one company - Enron Corp. - has come to personify what went wrong in business journalism in the late '90s and early part of this decade. More
Don't Sell Your Readers Short in Source Disclosure
June 6, 2006
The issue that has gripped business journalism in the last couple of months is the use of short sellers as sources. It came up during the Enron trial, and it's been at the heart of the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoenas of some business reporters as part of an investigation. More
Universities Must Enhance Business Journalism Course Offerings
May 22, 2006
As we come to the end of another academic year, I think it's important for those in the world of business journalism to realize why the field is in the state it's in: Blame your local universities and colleges. More
Blog Your Real Estate Coverage for Greater Exposure
May 8, 2006
How many of you have ever seen a newspaper real estate reporter blogging? I've looked and can't find any. Blogging is where real estate reporting should be headed. More
Business Sections Struggle to Define Audience
April 20, 2006
Ideally, a daily newspaper business section should try to strike a balance between providing content that will be of interest to the average consumer and offering stories that will also be read by the business executives in the readership area. But too often, I don't see that. More
Reduced Stock Listings May Translate to Less Respect for Business Sections
April 7, 2006
I have a problem with daily newspapers cutting stock listings in an attempt to improve profits. More than two dozen papers with circulation of nearly 5 million have cut or revamped stock listings since the beginning of the year. More
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