Acronyms are words formed from the initial letters of a multiword term. These can be names of organizations (NATO), nations (USA), and phrases (FAQ). While acronyms are highly efficient, care needs to be taken when using them. Too many, the AP Style Guide warns, produces “alphabet soup.”
General guidelines
A profile of a company or CEO is a staple of business journalism. Fortune magazine developed the concept back in the 1930s, and today virtually every business publication and section produces these stories. Why profiles? They’re a good way to give readers context, explaining whether a company is performing well or poorly, and whether the CEO’s strategy is working, and what is means for the firm.
With 1,701 deals worth $362.3 billion announced in the first half of 2010, according to Mergermarket, it’s no wonder that covering mergers and acquisitions is an important aspect of business journalism.
The beginning of the 2011 journalism school year is already upon us.
We’ve aggregated a variety of video clips that are worth considering for young reporters in training and those looking to chart a career in a profession that is rapidly changing.
Below are eight clips to check out:
Dorothy J. Gaiter, longtime writer for the Wall Street Journal, talks about the importance of journalism school:
The Carnegie-Knight Initiative was rooted in a sense that journalism was in trouble. Even before the full impact of digital technology was apparent and the traditional economic model for journalism had collapsed, there was a growing sense that a complex world needed a deeper journalism and better-trained journalists. The nation’s journalism schools were largely responsible for that training, but were widely perceived to be behind the times and, in many cases, marginal players on their campuses.
A lot of business journalism is devoted to large, publicly traded companies — perhaps 60%, and the percentage may be higher. And that’s wrong. Business news should focus more on private and small companies.
With thousands of publicly traded companies in the United States filing documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission — and thousands more private companies doing the same due to bond issues and a large number of shareholders — knowing how to read an SEC filing is an important tool for anyone looking to report about companies.
The economic situation in the country during the past three years means that many companies, and many consumers, have struggled financially. And when these businesses and individuals can no longer pay their bills, they head to the closest location of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
