An eye-opening account of how the information gap in business journalism is eroding civic life and impacting the economy––and how we can fix it
Business owners, consumers, and employees have long relied on the news to make financial decisions—what to buy, who to hire, and what products to sell. In the twenty-first century, that news has shifted. Only the big businesses and executives can afford expensive subscriptions, while most consumers and small business owners are left scrambling to find the news they need to succeed and thrive. The Future of Business Journalism explores how the field evolved into this divide and offers solutions on how business journalism can once again provide the stories and content that a broad society needs.
In The Future of Business Journalism, veteran business journalist and professor Chris Roush explains the causes, reveals the consequences, and offers potential solutions to this pressing problem. Roush delves into how the crisis occurred, from the disintegration of the once-strong relationship between businesses and media to the media’s focus on national coverage at the expense of local news. He reveals how these trends result in major “coverage deserts.”
Roush’s proposal for a way forward shows how businesses, journalists, and media can work together to support the economic and financial literacy needed for an informed citizenry. He recommends that media organizations take advantage of technological innovations to provide better business news content, suggests that journalism programs require budding reporters to take more business courses, and encourages businesses to fund journalism school programs. This insightful overview of the current state of business journalism reveals its strengths and weaknesses and shows how Main Street can regain access to the news it needs.
Table of Contents
Foreword by David Callaway
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Causes of the Information Gap
1. A Symbiotic Relationship
2. The Business Model Failure
3. The Dominators
4. The Public Relations Factor
5. The CEO Can Do Better
6. Societal Changes and Economic Forces
7. Political Polarization
Part II: Consequences and Their Impact
8. The Stock Market Is Overcovered
9. Failing Employees and Consumers
10. Health Care Coverage Is Sick
Part III: Solutions to the Problem
11. Using Technology to Improve Coverage
12. The Education Imperative
13. Fixing Business Journalism
Appendix: Timeline
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
"No one in academia understands business journalism, with its great strengths and its spectacular weaknesses, better than Chris Roush. . . . If you believe good journalism has a role to play in creating good business and, ultimately, good societies, you should read this book."—Alan Murray, CEO, Fortune Media
"The Future of Business Journalism is a remarkably intelligent look at the shortcomings of modern business and financial journalism and an unambiguous blueprint for how to elevate the profession in the genuine service of readers and viewers."—Dean Rotbart, former Wall Street Journal reporter and founder of NewsBios
"In The Future of Business Journalism, Roush articulately pinpoints exactly what has gone wrong with business journalism and identifies the solutions needed to fix it. A must-read for journalists and businesses alike. If you care about how the news of business and the markets are covered, you need to pick up this book."—Dan Simon, CEO, Vested
"Chris Roush, with his unique perspective as both journalist and educator, has produced a timely and valuable resource that illustrates in easy-to-read prose why journalists and non-journalists alike should care about the current state of business reporting and, importantly, how we can reform it for the digital age."—Penelope Muse Abernathy, author of News Deserts and Ghost Newspapers: Will Local News Survive?
"A compelling read. Roush provides not only a thorough look at where business media has failed but also a practical prescription for its future."—Sean Griffey, cofounder and CEO, Industry Dive
"There is no one more qualified than Chris Roush to analyze how to fix business news. He has created a playbook for closing the dissemination divide. Every business and civic leader that says they care about the future of democracy and social justice owes it to themselves to read this book–and take action!"—Matt Ragas, associate professor and director, professional communication graduate program, College of Communication, DePaul University
"A work of original, seminal, and detailed research and scholarship."—Midwest Book Review
"Overall, this book offers time-tested and novel solutions to repair business reporting in an era in which access to meaningful, trustworthy news is crucial."—Choice
Awards
Choice Outstanding Academic Book of the Year 2022
About the Author
Chris Roush is the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University. He previously spent seventeen years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he started its business journalism program. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including the textbook Show Me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication. He has won awards for business journalism teaching and has taught business journalism on five continents.
