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Pexels.com, @rawpixel
Reporting on business seems pretty convoluted. After Toronto-based writer and editor Bryan Borzykowski talked to our reporting class about the inside and out of the beat, it doesn’t seem as daunting.
One of the first things he told us was the intersection of politics, economics, personal finance. Borzykowski explained how those three things come together in the world of business and they matter to people, which is obviously your audience.
Business is something that is commonly overlooked in the news, but it involves everyone. Which is why it’s important we have business writers and editors like Borzykowski. Who are driven to report on the issues directly impacting the public.
He also emphasized the need to talk to people. The more you talk to people, the more you learn and know. I find in journalism there are many overlapping themes, this is one of them.
Journalism wouldn’t function as it does without talking to people. This is where we get our sources and how we shape our stories into functional stories.
He also reinforced the idea that all of my journalism professors have taught me, to dig deeper. The surface of the story may not be the whole story. You can find hidden gems by digging your way to them.
The last thing that I took away from Borzykowski’s lecture was when he told us the editor knows when you don’t know.
I think this is something valuable to tell journalism students. As students we are learning about CP Style and how to write like a journalist.
But when it comes to specialty beats, much like business journalism, you need to be educated on all terms associated with the beats own language.
If you pretend you know what you’re talking about, the editor will notice. You won’t be seen with the same level of trust they had in you before. If you pretend to know, you’ll be seen as unreliable and essentially useless in a world like journalism. Which relies on facts and the truth.