Survey Finds Time, Resources for Good Business Coverage Still Lacking
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Investigative projects and big-picture trend stories are the two areas in which the nation's business sections need the most improvement, according to a survey of younger business reporters and their editors released Sept. 21 at the American Press Institute's Business Editor's Seminar.
A majority of the 232 survey respondents, primarily younger reporters, indicated they don't have enough time or resources to develop big-picture trend and investigative pieces for their business sections. While the editors and reporters responding to the survey agreed on this point, the study found editors tend to be more optimistic than reporters about their newspaper sections.
Only 8 percent of the reporters rated their sections as “excellent” and about one-fourth of them said their sections get “low priority” in the newsroom. In contrast, 13 percent of the editors rated their sections as “excellent” and nearly half said their sections get “high priority” in the newsroom.
The survey, which received a 13 percent response rate, was conducted by the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business Journalism at API. The majority of the respondents have one to five years of experience on the business desk and work for smaller-market newspapers with circulations of less than 50,000; 32 percent are in the 25-to-34 age range.
"Many of today's business desks are staffed by younger reporters who had little background in the beat when they started," said Vandana Sinha, associate editor and project manager at the Reynolds Center. "With newspapers placing more emphasis on growing readership, it is critical to seek these reporters' assessments of their sections and what they need to cover this increasingly sophisticated beat more effectively."
Reporters responding to the survey expressed a need for better guidance from their editors and more opportunities for training. While 58 percent of the respondents discuss their articles “very often” with their editors before filing their stories, only 14 percent said they have follow-up discussions “very often” with their editors about their articles. Only 4 percent said they have access to business journalism training “very often,” while 45 percent said they “almost never” or “never” have access to such training.
The annual API Business Editors seminar hosts newspaper business editors from around the country who study ways to improve coverage and their own management skills.
For more information about the survey results, contact Andrew Leckey, Director, Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, (703) 715-3329, aleckey@americanpressinstitute.org.
About the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism
The Reynolds Center at the American Press Institute is a nationwide effort to provide a forum and training for improving the quality of American business journalism. Funded by a grant from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, it provides free one-day workshops for journalists who cover business issues. The Center's flagship site, www.BusinessJournalism.org, provides commentary, training and resources.
About the American Press Institute
The American Press Institute is an independent educational center for providing skills-training and leadership development in the news industry, offering myriad seminars, online training and on-site programs for newspaper professionals. API houses the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, which offers a nationwide forum and educational opportunities for improving the quality of American business journalism. API is also the home of the Media Center , which conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media. Visit API online at http://www.americanpressinstitute.org, or call (703) 620-3611.