The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University has launched two new blogs to help business journalists stay ahead of the news and polish their skills. The blogs are featured on BusinessJournalism.org , the center’s Web site that offers news and information about business journalism as well as training and other resources for business journalists across the country. The new blogs are written by Melissa Preddy, a former business writer, editor and columnist for The Detroit News, and Rosland Gammon, a former business reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Bloomberg News. In “Your Daily Tipsheet,” Preddy provides links, tips and ideas on how to cover fast-moving business stories as well as how to breathe fresh life into perennial business stories and localize national trends and events. She will pay special attention to the preparation necessary for good storytelling, whether in print, online or broadcast. “I really want this blog to be a conversation with business journalists,” said Preddy, who worked in business news at The Detroit News from 1995 to 2008. “Our aim is to provide go-to practical resources on a daily basis, and I welcome questions, suggestions and ideas on topics the blog should tackle.” In “Make It Great!” Gammon will dissect one stellar example of business journalism each weekday and offer tips to help journalists replicate what made the story great. Gammon is a former business journalist turned college instructor who spent five years at The Philadelphia Inquirer crafting her storytelling skills by writing about small business and manufacturing. She also worked at Bloomberg News covering the stock market and on the legal team writing about corporate bankruptcies. Gammon teaches at Marquette University and Alverno College in Milwaukee. Their posts can be followed on both Twitter and Facebook. Gammon and Preddy welcome suggestions and feedback from readers, said Linda Austin, executive director of the Reynolds Center at ASU. To recommend a story for recognition in “Make It Great!” e-mail rbgammon@RBGMedia.com. To ask questions and suggest items for “Your Daily Tipsheet,” e-mail MPreddy@aol.com. The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is based at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The center offers free business journalism training both online and in regional workshops through generous funding from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. The foundation is a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., it is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. The Cronkite School is home to a number of highly regarded professional programs, including the Carnegie-Knight News21 Journalism Initiative, the Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, Cronkite News Service, the New Media Innovation Lab and other full-immersion programs focused on the future of journalism.
New Blogs Offer Tips for Business Journalists
Thursday, July 30, 2009