We Mean Business

Season 2's greatest tips

In the Season 2 finale of How to Cover Money, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard take a look back at some of the best tips they got from all of the amazing journalists that joined them this season. If you missed any episodes, feel free to circle back to any of our previous episodes and, of course, keeping thinking like a business reporter!

Micki Maynard and covering sports rivalries

In this episode, co-host Micki Maynard discusses the financial aspects of sports rivalries with Mark Remillard. Maynard highlights major college football and basketball rivalries, such as Michigan vs. Ohio State and Duke vs. UNC, noting the significant revenue generated from these matchups, as an example of how business journalists can cover the sports world. She also gives some thoughts on how young journalists can use social media, FOIA requests and city liaisons to get data and understand the financial stories of sports beyond what’s being played on the field.

Marilyn Geewax and part two from the editor’s point of view

Co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard talk with Marilyn Geewax, an editor at NPR. Geewax gives her thoughts on the importance of impact in stories and how news from all around the world and the nation can impact your local readers. Geewax gives advice to journalists on how to find their next story, what websites are goldmines of information, and how to interpret the data for your reader.

Kim Quillen and the editor’s point of view

In this week’s episode, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard pivot get an editor’s point of view. Kim Quillen, the East Valley Editor of The Arizona Republic, shares her approach to business journalism and details her experience covering historic events like Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. As an editor, Quillen highlights some of the common mistakes she sees from reporters and how reporters can avoid them. With business journalism ever-evolving, Quillen gives her insights for young reporters to break into the field and why they should.

Dan Gillmor and dos and don’ts of tech coverage

This episode, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard spend more time talking with long-time technology journalist and journalism professor, Dan Gillmor. Gillmor gives his personal experience on the dos and don’t of covering technology, including what journalists should look out for. The co-hosts asked Gillmor for advice on how young journalists can get started in the field and how to balance covering a company that may be an integral part of your daily life, like Apple and Google, with journalistic integrity.

Dan Gillmor and covering technology

In this episode, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard spend some time talking with long-time technology journalist and journalism professor, Dan Gillmor. They discuss the complexities of covering technology as a business journalist and explore the implications of technology in daily life, including the control of data, the impact of net neutrality, and the rise of centralized tech giants like Amazon and Taco Bell. The conversation touches on the potential future implications of automation and artificial intelligence on employment and society.

Millennials and money with Rian Bosse

This week’s How to Cover Money episode discusses reporting on millennials and their financial behavior. Graduate assistant and student of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Rian Bosse, a millennial himself, joins co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard to discuss the themes he has come across while reporting on millennials.

Business for broadcast with Ben Bergman

Writing a business story for broadcast is tricky, as your audience may be distracted with other things in their lives. So your delivery style is different from traditional print journalism. In this week’s How to Cover Money podcast, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard talk with senior business reporter, Ben Bergman from KPCC Los Angeles about how to cover business journalism as broadcasters. Ben Bergman of KPCC grapples with a unique issue covering business for broadcast. “We’re always told in radio, ‘don’t use any numbers. Take the numbers out of your story.’ And of course what is business about but numbers?” asks Bergman. “So the challenge is having enough numbers to have the heft of your story, but also make it interesting.” 

Investigative reporting with Michael Grabell

This week How To Cover Money kicks off Season 2: Tips from Top Journalists. Co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard caught up with Michael Grabell of ProPublica to talk about his recent investigative reporting series on the dangers temporary workers face in the United States. Grabell's series was awarded the 2014 Barlett and Steele Award. This episode offers some tips on data journalism, taking on big stories, and organizing your work to include investigative work in your daily reporting schedule, even when you’re not a full-time investigative reporter.

Covering money and politics

At some time during their careers, almost every journalist is sure to run into a situation involving an elected official, a candidate, and funding. It could be the money that the official is spending on the job. Or, it could be the funds that a candidate is raising and spending. In this week’s episode of How to Cover Money, co-hosts Micki Maynard and Mark Remillard discuss the complexities of covering money in politics, especially with the rising costs of campaigns and the rise of Super PACs. They cover the importance of understanding the legislative process and the role lobbyists play in shaping political outcomes.