A lead (also known as a lede) is the first paragraph or several paragraphs of a story, be it a blog entry or a long article. Its mission is to catch readers’ attention and draw them in. Getting them truly involved is the duty of the rest of the story; getting them to that point is the job of the lead.
Many people don’t read business news, and for good reason. There’s nothing more boring than a story that uses a bunch of numbers in the lead without explaining what’s actually going on. But business news writing doesn’t have to be boring, or laden with numbers.
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.
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:
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.
