Forbes publisher describes business journalists

Forbes Magazine publisher Rich Karlgaard’s column in the latest issue provides observations on what influences business journalists in their stories, notes Grumpy Editor.

“The thin talent pool in business journalism combines with two other forces: Journalism is populated by left-of-center people, many of whom are hostile to business; and traditional journalism itself faces threats of disruption from the Internet, leaving business journalists in a fearful mood, which gets projected into their stories,” he writes.

Karlgaard describes what it takes to be a first-rate business journalist.

“One must be facile with numbers and financial statements and have the confidence to talk to CEOs, high-level executives, board members, analysts and so forth,” he relates. “One must delve deeply into the industry one writes about---what is the competitive landscape, what are the technological disruptions on the road ahead? It is also critical that one have a coherent global economic view to be able to put a story into context. And one must be a good storyteller.”

Grumpy Editor’s end-of-week leftover notes

The much talked-about New York Times Thursday front page “hit” piece on Sen. John McCain carried four bylines…A Feb. 10 Associated Press economics story (see Feb. 12 Grumpy Editor) that spotlighted Hilda Sanchez of Waterford, Calif., saying, “Absolutely, we’re in a recession,” was still making the print rounds a week later.  The Las Vegas Review-Journal, for example, gave the story a chunk of space on the opening page of its Sunday business section that was devoted to the “R’ word…“China asked the U.S. to release data on the shootdown of an ailing spy satellite” in an Associated Press lead from Beijing Thursday brought a hearty laugh --- and “are they kidding?” --- from Grumpy Editor…Nothing grumpy here:  Long-running PR effort kicks off today for Julian Myers, veteran publicist to some of the greatest Hollywood stars.  Myers, a spirited 90, starts a 90-mile run from San Diego to Los Angeles where he plans to participate in the Los Angeles Marathon 5K race on March 2.  Myers, co-founder of Amigo Day and member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for 59 years, will be interrupting his run to be on-scene for Sunday’s Oscar presentations in Hollywood…A TV commercial concluding with a soap-on-a-rope “bust” of President Millard Fillmore didn’t score well with Byung Mo Ahn new chairman and group CEO of Kia Motors America, Irvine, Calif. and resulted in the departure of a top marketing executive.  Ahn said he prefers to show cars and trucks as serious contenders with good quality.