Business journalism’s 5 pillars of purpose: My take on economic reporting’s core principles
Posted: September 28, 2026 Filed under: AI, Dunham's Discourses, Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, Media, Rick's Rules | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, business journalism, ESG, Global Business Journalism, International Center for Journalists, Journalism Training, Linda Lew, Lise Olsen, Mark Hamrick, Media, News business, Sharon Moshavi, watchdogs, writing Leave a commentBy RICK DUNHAM
In a media world transformed by digital disruption, economic volatility and the never-ending news cycle, high-quality business journalism has never been more essential for citizens around the world — or more challenged by a convergence of economic and political forces. Amid social media misinformation, corporate spin, government pressure and declining trust in institutions, the mission of business news organizations has evolved to serve a public increasingly hungry for clarity, accountability and context.
While styles of business news coverage vary across platforms and countries, five core goals remain central to economic reporting in the modern era.
These five fundamental missions — informing the public, interpreting economic trends, holding power accountable, guiding decision-making and spotlighting broader economic shifts such as innovation and inequality — are the cornerstones of meaningful, responsible business journalism. Let’s take a look at each of them.
1. Informing the public: Gleaning clarity from complexity
At its heart, business journalism exists to inform. It demystifies complex economic developments, financial markets, and corporate affairs for a broad audience. From interest rate hikes to stock market volatility, from GDP reports to global supply chain disruptions, the goal is to translate jargon into accessible language without sacrificing nuance.
“Business journalism has always been important but never has it been more important than right now,” Mark Hamrick, founder of the Hamrick Brief, told Global Business Journalism students. “This obviously is a remarkable time in human history — the rate of change is remarkable. The ability to tell a story well is one of the most important skill sets we have.”
Good business coverage doesn’t just report the what — it explains the why and the how, helping readers understand how distant decisions by central banks, tech CEOs, or energy producers can affect household budgets or career prospects.
2. Interpreting trends: Context beyond the headlines
Modern business journalists are not merely stenographers of the day’s earnings calls or labor reports. They are interpreters — placing economic and corporate events in a broader context. Why does a stronger dollar matter? What does a jobs report signal about inflation? How does a tech company’s quarterly performance hint at shifting consumer habits?
“Every news story needs a paragraph on the significance or context of the news and business news is no different,” noted Jeffrey Timmermans, a longtime Wall Street Journal reporter now working at the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism. “Each business story should explain why the news matters to the reader.”
Interpretation has become even more critical in an era where data is abundant but understanding is scarce. Long-form explainers, data journalism, podcasts, and interactive graphics have become key tools for business reporters helping audiences grasp long-term trends — from climate finance to the future of AI.
3. Holding power to account: Watchdogs in the boardrooms and beyond
Perhaps the most vital and difficult of business journalism’s missions is accountability reporting. This includes exposing fraud, investigating regulatory failures, scrutinizing executive behavior and tracing the flow of money and influence in both the public and private sectors.
Whether covering the fall of FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried, probing the causes of the 2008 financial crisis or revealing how fossil fuel corporations shaped perceptions of climate change in much of the world, investigative business reporting plays a key role in serving the public interest.
“Customers, investors, pensioners, employees and taxpayers all have been harmed in recent years by a reckless disregard at the highest levels of companies,” Gretchen Morgenson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning financial journalist, told a Wharton School leadership conference. “If the people who have created these disasters and profited from them are allowed to slink off into the night, then I think we will be confirming the suspicion that the paths of the powerful are protected, and that the little guy is left to fend for himself.”
In the wake of growing public anger over wealth inequality and the power of transnational global corporations, the watchdog role of business journalism is ethically important — and it is increasingly expected by audiences, even in countries with some limits on press freedom.
4. Guiding decisions: Practical tools for spending, work and wealth
Another core mission of business journalism is helping individuals and institutions make informed choices — whether about investments, careers, consumption or business strategies.
This service-oriented aspect has grown in popularity and sophistication, with media brands like Bloomberg, CNBC, Morning Brew, and The Wall Street Journal offering targeted newsletters, personal finance columns, real-time market updates, and deep industry analysis.
In short, business news has become more personal. Increasingly, it’s not just about what Apple or Tesla did — but about what you should do next. That could be consumer decisions, investment choices or retirement options.
“People read our words, based on which they shape their own opinions and make decisions,” Colin Pope, editor of Austin Business Journal, told students in the Global Business Journalism program’s Business News Reporting and Editing course.
Not every economic journalist is up to the challenge of simplifying the numbers and explaining complex data. The 2025 Barnum Financial Group “Study of Americans in the Workplace“ found that 39% of respondents felt intimidated by financial complexities, contributing to “a population struggling to access and understand the financial resources they need” to make economic decisions.
The clearer business journalists can be in their data analysis and reporting, the more confident their audience can be in decision-making.
Morgenson, now a senior reporter for NBC News Investigations, says her aim as a reporter is to “simplify complex financial dealings so all readers can understand them. Although I am thrilled to have received an array of journalism awards over my career, the most rewarding aspect of my work is helping readers cut through financial fog and protect themselves and their families.”
5. Telling the broader economic story: Innovation and inequality
Today’s business journalism must also capture the complex forces shaping the 21st-century economy: rapid innovation, increasing inequality, and the battles over globalism and global economic dominance.
From covering the rise of artificial intelligence and green energy startups to exploring the gig economy, inconsistencies in labor rights from nation to nation, and the gender pay chasm in some countries, business journalists are storytellers of transformations and of stubborn traditions.
More often than not, those stories are not simply “bottom line” business stories but are societal narratives that often touch on local and national politics, social justice concerns, minority rights, women’s rights and environmental policy.
“Journalists are needed more than ever to bear witness to history,” Linda Lew, a reporter for Bloomberg News in Hong Kong, told Global Business Journalism program students.
This increased coverage of economic justice issues means that ESG (an acronym for Environmental, Social and Governance) investing issues, and diversity in corporate leadership, are no longer niche coverage areas. They are central to understanding the modern economy — and to building trust with younger, values-driven audiences. Coverage of the rise of far-right populism from the Americas to Europe requires skill in both economic and political analysis.
What’s more, in the midst of today’s rapid innovation, business reporters must be prepared to cover the industries of the future, from green technologies to artificial intelligence. Beat coverage can range from profiles to narratives, corporate profit deep dives to investigative pieces about venture capital fundraising attempts.
Reporters covering these emerging industries (and markets) must be able to explain — in simple language — what the technology is and what its impact will be on the lives of people around the world. They also will be called on to cover the business end of companies in a boom-and-bust world that sees spectacular successes, meteoric flameouts and a few criminal prosecutions. All of which are exciting — and challenging — for the reporters covering the story.
The future: Business journalism in the digital age
As the digital economy has expanded, so too has the media ecosystem covering it. Traditional print and television outlets now compete with newsletters, TikTok explainers, YouTube analysts, Substack authors, and especially influencers with strong opinions about crypto or real estate. To demonstrate the power of the influencer culture: More Americans got news about the 2024 presidential election on TikTok from influencers and celebrities than from traditional news organizations’ video feeds, according to Pew Research Center findings.
Yet even amid information overload and the cacophony of facts, opinions and rumors, professional business journalism remains distinct. It is evidence-based, ethically grounded, and committed to transparency.
“There may not be a single truth, but a fact is still a fact,” said Sharon Moshavi, president of the International Center for Journalists. “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and there is no such thing as absolute and ultimate truth. But a phone is a phone. My AirPods are AirPods … And I think only then are we going to get to that world I like where facts reign.”
Truth is not journalism’s only challenge. Revenue models are shifting. Audiences for traditional media are rapidly shrinking. Misinformation spreads quickly. Reporters face pressure to produce more with fewer resources. And AI tools are transforming how news is gathered and delivered.
Still, the mission endures.
“I’m always looking for something that is hidden, something people don’t want other people to know,” said Lise Olsen, Houston-based investigative reporter focusing on crime, corruption, workers’ safety and human rights, during a lecture to Global Business Journalism students.
This report first appeared on the Global Business Journalism program website.
Application for the USA Summer Journalism Training Program
Posted: April 7, 2017 Filed under: Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training | Tags: business journalism, City University of New York, CUNY, GBJ, Global Business Journalism Program, Journalism, journalism education, Journalism Training, Li Chengzhang, top journalism programs, Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, United States, USA Summer Journalism Training Program, Washington 1 CommentThank you for your interest in the USA Summer Journalism Training Program, organized by Rick Dunham, a veteran of 29 years of Washington journalism experience and co-director of the International Center for Journalists’ Global Business Journalism Program. The two-week program is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C., from July 24 to August 4, 2017, and is open to university students and recent graduates from China and around the world.
The application form is included in this post. Please copy-and-paste the form and send it via email to the USA Summer Journalism Training Program at SummerProgramDC@gmail.com. You can reach teaching assistant Li Chengzhang at licz15@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn.
- Application deadline: May 31
海外学习短期项目
美国新闻报道夏令营项目申请表
Application form
| 姓名 | Name | 国籍 | Nationality | ||
| 生源地 | Birthplace | ||||
| 本／硕／博 | Bachelor’s/Master’s/Ph.D. | 出生年月 | Date of birth | ||
| 在读学校 | University | 专业 | Major | ||
| 联系电话 | Phone number | 邮箱 | |||
| 是否定向/委培 | 外语水平（种类及成绩） | English language certificate | |||
| 拟毕业时间 | When will you (did you) graduate from your university program? | ||||
| 申请理由：
Please explain the reason why you want to apply to this program: |
|||||
注：请将报名表、个人简历、学生证、外语水平证书的电子版发送至助教邮箱。如有任何疑问，欢迎随时联系助教。邮箱：SummerProgramDC@gmail.com or licz15@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn 电话：+86 13426000951 或 +1(312)468-3257
Note: Please send your application form, CV, English language certificate copy and a photo of your student ID card to SummerProgramDC@gmail.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Teaching Assistant Li Chengzhang at licz15@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn. By telephone: +86 13426000951, +1 (312) 468-3257.
- 费用：
项目费：1500美元
住宿费：600-750美元（由项目方提供统一住宿）
- Estimated costs:
Fees $1,500*
Housing (estimated, double occupancy) $600-$750
Note: Global Business Journalism students and Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication students are eligible for a scholarship to cover $500 of the costs, making their final fee $1,000.
Note: GBJ and TSJC students who also enroll in the City University of New York Summer Intensive program are eligible for a scholarship to cover $750 of their costs, making their final fee $750.
Note: Visa fee, transportation, travel, meals, insurance are not included.
Note: Housing will be available from Sunday, July 23, to Saturday, August 5.
A completed application does not guarantee acceptance. To guarantee personal attention, the program will have a maximum of 25 participants. Admission is at the discretion of program organizers.
>>> More information on the Global Business Journalism Program
>> More information on the USA Summer Journalism Training Program
>>> Questions? Contact the USA Summer Journalism Training Program by email
>>> More information on CUNY Summer Intensive program
Global Business Journalism Program: Leading the next generation of journalism around the world
Posted: July 4, 2016 Filed under: Discovering China, Dunham's Discourses, Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, Uncategorized | Tags: Bank of America, Barrows Dunham, Bloomberg News, China, commencement, Cynthia Chen, Gaelle Patricia Chekma, Global Business Journalism, Global Business Journalism Program, ICFJ, International Center for Journalists, Jade Ladal, Jarchine Zhou, Jiao Jie, Jordyn Dahl, Journalism, journalism education, journalism ethics, Journalism Training, Knight Foundation, Media Economics, philosophy, Tsinghua University, Zhou Jaxin Leave a commentIt has been a honor to serve as international co-director of the Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua University for the past three years. Here is a transcript of my remarks at the 2016 commencement on June 30:
This is a very special day for all of us. To you, the graduating class of 2016, it is the culmination of a multicultural, global experience that is certain to benefit you personally and professionally. For me, this day is very special, too.
This is the first group of Chinese students I taught at Tsinghua, and you have made this veteran journalist into a better professor and a better person. Jiao Jie, Cynthia, Jarchine. I could go on and on. I have such respect and affection for you. I am so proud of all of you.
This is the first group of international students I interviewed, taught and mentored from beginning to end. Jade: you may not remember it, but I recall asking you in your interview: Who was your favorite character from En Attendant Godot? (I bet you didn’t prepare for that question.)
From the beginning, I can remember being supremely impressed by the qualifications and enthusiasm of Lauren and Gaelle, who have been leaders and high achievers since the day they arrived.
And I can remember recruiting Jordyn as if she were a star athlete in the United States and I were an eager coach. I knew she would be an invaluable addition to our program. Even while she’s still in school, she’s published superb articles in Forbes and Beijing Review, respected global news outlets.
I am honored, on behalf of the faculty of the Global Business Journalism Program and the International Center for Journalists, to congratulate all of you on your successful completion of graduate studies at the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication.
You are entering an uncertain world of journalism … of business and economics … of geopolitics and global conflict. I guess any commencement speaker could have said that at any time. But the pace of technological change, the immediacy brought by social media and 24/7 news, and the interconnectedness of the world, have made it easier for human beings to create positive things — or sow destruction anywhere, anytime.
The disruption created by the digital communications revolution has affected businesses from Dallas to Da Tong. In our world of journalism and communication, traditional forms of communication are collapsing – rapidly in America and Europe, more slowly in China. But make no mistake about it, the old world is gone and will never be revived, despite the antediluvian longings of ultranationalists and isolationists and technophobes.
The good news is that there are so many opportunities for people who embrace change and embrace the latest technologies. You are among the fortunate few. You have been trained in the latest technologies, but you also understand the enduring basics of journalism: accuracy, fairness, accountability, ethics and compelling storytelling. The Global Business Journalism program is a combination of a rigorous academic education taught by some of the finest professors in China, and a real-world journalism newsroom where students learn from distinguished journalists from around the world and create professional multimedia projects and data journalism reports.
With the skills you have learned, and the intelligence and drive you bring to your work, I have no doubt some of you are going to be journalism industry leaders and innovators, in China and around the world.
The Global Business Journalism Program is about to begin its tenth academic year this fall. In its first decade — with the support of Bloomberg News, ICFJ, the Knight Foundation and Merrill Lynch/Bank of America — it has brought together students from about 60 countries to experience a diversity of cultures and ideas.
The GBJ program has been indispensable in creating a new generation of business journalists who are reshaping and improving journalism in China. Not only does Chinese journalism benefit from our superbly trained alumni, but international journalism benefits because the next generation of reporters from Cameroon to California have a more accurate and sophisticated view of the Chinese economy and its role in global growth – and an understanding of the highest standards in global reporting.
What’s more, GBJ has created de facto goodwill ambassadors for China in dozens of countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. It could not come at a more important time.
The journalism industry is facing an era of limits. In the United States and Europe, those limits are mostly economic: the profit imperative at a time of declining revenues, the mistaken choice of click bait journalism over quality. In China, those limits are mostly political.
But neither the journalism establishments of China nor the rest of the world can afford to be reactive. Traditional news outlets, whether in Beijing or Great Britain, are at risk of losing the next generation of information consumers to social media or alternative sources of information. We must – and we will –adapt, to create innovative new ways to share news.
Barrows Dunham, 1947
I would like to close by quoting from my favorite philosopher, who happens to be my grandfather, Barrows Dunham. Seventy years ago, as the world emerged from the destruction wrought by fascists, he wrote in his book Man Against Myth that the peoples of our planet faced “ambiguous gloom, which may perhaps be twilight and may perhaps be dawn.”
Sounds like today. Looking at the pace of change, he wrote in 1947:
“In our day, indeed, events have attained so formidable a tempo that a single lifetime … will seem to contain more than there once appeared to be in history itself.”
Sounds like today.
Every generation sees an unprecedented pace of social change. That is the reality of human accomplishment, and human nature. There are always those who see the dawn and those who see the sunset. In the dawn of our new era, many in our chosen line of work will resist the changes that are needed.
This challenge reminds me of the Season 6 finale of Game of Thrones – specifically, the reaction of the receptionist at the Citadel, who, in response to a message delivered by Samwell Tarly, told our hero: “This is highly irregular.”
“Well,” Samwell responded, “I suppose that life is irregular.”
Indeed, life is irregular. But we can’t respond to occasional irregularities by retreating or taking the safe path. We must pursue the ambitious vision we learned in GBJ.
As all of you know, I am an optimist. I choose to see the dawn. I don’t fear the future, and you should not, either. You are uniquely prepared to be the change – to lead the change – as we approach the third decade of the 21st century.
To quote Dr. Dunham one last time: “Even now, we ourselves are determining the future, not by knowing what it will be, but by conceiving what it can be.”
Congratulations to the GBJ graduating class. Good luck to all of you. Thank you.
How cropping photos can change the editorial content of a photograph
Posted: December 20, 2015 Filed under: Journalism Training, Rick's Rules, U.S. politics | Tags: 2016 presidential race, cropping, Donald Trump, Journalism Training, media bias, multimedia journalism, Nancy Pelosi, photo composition, photo cropping, photo editing, photography, presidential election, White House 1 Comment
Marital bliss: This photograph from Donald Trump’s latest wedding is fraught with political overtones.
Photography captures reality.
Or does it?
Yes, a high-quality photograph that follows my 25 rules of photo composition can be a major asset for your multimedia journalism report.
But a photograph is not necessarily objective reality. Why?
Cropping.
As you edit the photograph, you are making editorial decisions: What part of the photo is most important or newsworthy? (That is different than editing decisions based on attractiveness.)
Here are two examples: One benign, one politically charged.
I took the first photo in my final day on the White House beat, Sept. 2, 2013. It shows House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi speaking to a group of reporters outside the West Wing entrance (also known as “the Stakeout”). The second photo is a wedding snapshot featuring Bill and Hillary Clinton at Donald Trump’s most recent wedding.
Nancy Pelosi at the Stakeout. The viewer’s eye focuses on the media scrum.
The edited photo focuses on Nancy Pelosi.
The original image: The Trumps and Clintons are all smiles at Donald Trump’s latest wedding.
Edited photo #1: That was then, this is war: Hillary and Donald look happy together. That’s not the way they’re acting in the heat of the presidential race.
Edited photo #2: Editing out the Trumps, this could be any of the tens of thousands of Clinton family photos taken over the decades.
Edited photo #3: Editing out the spouses, this version looks like Bill Clinton is enjoying his time with Mrs. Trump. It emphasizes their left hands meeting along her waist.
The Trump-Clinton wedding photo is fraught with political overtones. Some of Trump’s 2016 Republican presidential campaign rivals would like to remind voters of his bipartisan past and his longtime coziness with the Clintons. The unedited photo is incontrovertible evidence that the two families were close enough that they were all smiles together in the not-so-distant past.
By focusing on Donald and Hillary, the photo editor chooses to highlight the 2016 rivalry, without the spouses. It’s Hillary vs. Donald. All smiles then. All insults now.
By editing out the Trumps, this is an unexceptional photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton smiling for the cameras. Little news value.
By editing out Donald and Hillary, the photo focuses on Bill Clinton with his arm around an attractive woman. Her left hand touches his, prompting the viewer to reach her/his own conclusion about the body chemistry.
The takeaway lesson: When you are editing photos for content, think about how your cropping decisions change the meaning of the image in the eyes of your audience. Are you sending the message you want to send? Are you fairly reflecting reality? Are you being fair to the subjects in the photo?
If you are a professional photo editor, the answer to all of the questions should be yes.
Pulitzer Prize winner Ken Herman encourages Tsinghua journalism students to ‘try different things’
Posted: May 14, 2015 Filed under: Breaking news, Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, U.S. politics | Tags: Austin, Austin American-Statesman, Beijing, Data Journalism, Forbidden City, George W. Bush, Global Business Journalism, Journalism, journalism education, Journalism Training, Ken Herman, multimedia journalism, Pulitzer Prize, Sharon Jayson, social media, Texas, Tiananmen, tourism, Tsinghua University, U.S. Congress, U.S. military, USA Today Leave a comment
Ken Herman (center) talks to Global Business Journalism Program students, flanked by Rick Dunham (left) and Sharon Jayson (right).
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ken Herman encouraged students in Tsinghua University’s Global Business Journalism Program to experiment with the many new technological tools available to today’s reporters.
“Try different things,” Herman, a columnist at the Austin American-Statesman in Texas, said in a lecture on May 12. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Keep trying and you’ll get better.”
Herman and his wife Sharon Jayson, a longtime reporter for USA Today, spoke to Professor Rick Dunham’s Data Journalism and Multimedia Business Reporting classes at the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication. They told the stories of their award-winning journalism careers and advised students to master traditional news writing, audio, video and social media.
Jayson’s three-decade career has included stints as a television news reporter and anchor, a radio station reporter, a radio network Austin bureau chief and a newspaper journalist in Washington and Austin.
“I love journalism,” she said. “I’m glad to go to work every single day.”
Herman, who covered George W. Bush both during his days as governor of Texas and president of the United States, won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1977 for a series of stories in the Lufkin (Texas) News investigating the death of a young recruit in the U.S. military. The series led to congressional hearings and changes in American military recruiting practices. For the past six years, he has written a newspaper column that sometimes covers serious policy topics and often uses humor to make his points.
“I feel it is important to tell people what is going on in their government – or just entertain them,” he said.
Herman was one of the first print reporters to supplement his reports with multimedia elements such as video and audio. He said that some of his early efforts at video journalism were “pretty bad.”
“Make mistakes,” he said. “I certainly did. But you’ll learn how to do it and you’ll get better.”
Jayson, who specialized in coverage of younger Americans and human relationships during her decade at USA Today, said she knew she wanted to be a reporter from the age of 12, when she worked on a newspaper at her school. She encouraged the students to follow their passion in life, like she did, even if it does not lead to material wealth.
“Don’t just accept something because you think you’re going to get rich,” she said.
Ken and Sharon in Tian’anmen Square, with the Forbidden City in the background.
Ten tips to improve your news photography from a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
Posted: April 22, 2015 Filed under: Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, Rick's Rules, Top Ten | Tags: Burkina Faso, child labor, Data Journalism, eBook, Eiffel Tower, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Gaelle Patricia Chekma, Global Business Journalism, gold mining, Journalism Training, Larry C. Price, Larry Price, Matt Haldane, multimedia journalism, Paris, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philippines, photo composition, photo tips, photography, Pulitzer Center, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Pulitzer Prize, Tarnished, Top Ten, Tsinghua University Leave a comment
Larry Price spoke to Global Business Journalism Program students on April 21. (Photo by Gaelle Patricia Chekma)
Every year, the Pulitzer Prizes celebrate some of the world’s best journalism. Just hours after the 2015 Pulitzer winners were announced, my Global Business Journalism Program was fortunate to play host to a two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for photography. Larry C. Price, a University of Texas graduate who won the Pulitzer while working for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Philadelphia Inquirer, dazzled my Multimedia Reporting and Data Journalism students with tales from his latest project, a multi-year investigation into the use of child labor in gold mining. His work — entitled “Tarnished” — was published in eBook form by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
Here are ten tips I culled from Larry’s lectures and the subsequent Q-and-A period. They are not a definitive list of “ten top tips.” They are just a collection of tips that I hope will be useful as you attempt to improve your photographic skills.
One of the many vivid photos from “Tarnished.” This is from Larry Price’s trip to a gold mining area of Burkina Faso.
1. Always remember that you’re a storyteller.
Whatever publishing platform you’re on, and whatever visual medium you’re using, journalism is always about one thing. “It’s all about the stories,” Larry says. “Stories are as old as language. They’re everywhere. And journalism tells them.”
2. Look for something new — or a new take on an old image.
“Find something that hasn’t been done,” Larry says. “Or find a different spin on it.”
He says colleagues have sometimes discouraged him from shooting certain images, saying, “it’s been done.”
“My response is, ‘I haven’t done it,'” he says. “If somebody’s told the story, tell it differently.”
His example: a recent trip to Paris and a photo shoot at the Eiffel Tower.
The eBook “Tarnished” is available online from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting.
3. Get up early. Stay late.
Larry doesn’t use artificial lighting. As a result, he is looking for the best natural light available. “If you want your multimedia productions to look good, shoot them early in the morning or a few minutes before sunset,” he says.
That means long days of work and short nights of sleep.
4. Get close.
Every photographer has her or his own signature. For Larry, it’s close-ups. “I love tight facial portraits,” he said. “Force yourself to get close.”
Another favorite subject for his close-ups: “Hands and feet. That’s what it’s all about.”
5. Get personal.
To make a subject comfortable with you — especially if you are going to shove your camera into their face — is to develop a personal relationship with them. “I spend a lot of time getting rapport established before I take out a camera,” Larry says. “I develop that rapport so it doesn’t get uncomfortable to your subject.”
Of course, you can’t always do this when news is breaking, but it can help improve your image if you have a bit of time to prepare.
6. Keep shooting.
“When I’m in the field, it’s constant activity,” Larry says. “Digital allows you to shoot, review, delete a lot.” Don’t let your guard down when you’re on duty: You never know when the next great photo opportunity might come. “You can’t ever relax,” he says. “It’s a never-ending cycle of feeling guilty.”
On his most recent trip to Burkina Faso, Larry returned with 37,000 frames. “I always have a lot of failures,” he notes. “I shoot a lot of pictures.”
7. Minimize your vertical shots.
Horizontal photographs work best on digital platforms, whether that’s a mobile device or a computer. And if you’re taking video, make sure it’s horizontal. “Never shoot vertical video,” warns Larry. “It’s useless. Half your space is wasted.” He rarely takes vertical stills, except for portraits. But he likes the square format popularized by Instagram. “Square is a very good portrait format — a little more artsy,” he says.
8. Stay natural.
Great photographers don’t cheat with editing programs that alter reality. “I don’t do a lot of Photoshop with my pictures,” he said. “I don’t exaggerate the colors or anything.”
9. Take good notes.
You need to have the spelling of names, correct ages and the locations of cities or villages. Larry always uses two notebooks. He also records the GPS coordinates of everything.
10. One old-fashioned photo composition rule.
“Don’t ever put people in the middle of the frame,” he says.
Matt Haldane has a front row seat for Larry Price’s lecture at Tsinghua.
Experimenting with data visualization: Here are some interactive graphics I have developed
Posted: April 19, 2015 Filed under: Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, U.S. politics | Tags: 2016 presidential race, Baidu, Ben Carson, British Pound, Chinese RMB, Chris Christie, Data Journalism, data visualization, Euro, GBJ, Global Business Journalism, interactive graphics, Japanese Yen, Journalism Training, multimedia graphics, Paul Ryan, Russian Ruble, Scott Walker, Silk, Swiss Franc, Ted Cruz, Tsinghua University, US Dollar, Zhang Sihan Leave a comment
Teaching Data Journalism at Tsinghua. (Photo by Zhang Sihan)
As part of the new Data Journalism course I have created for the Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua University, I am experimenting with data visualization platforms. Here are a few examples. (If my WordPress blog platform will not allow you to open the embedded graphics, you can click on the links to take you to the pages where you can view them.)
I’d love to get your feedback … and some suggestions on platforms that could be useful for data viz projects.
THE VALUE OF THE U.S. DOLLAR OVER THE PAST DECADE PLOTTING AGAINST SIX INTERNATIONAL CURRENCIES
FROM SILK:
FROM SILK:
http://goo.gl/JVSGLH
THE 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL FIELD: A SAMPLING OF AN UNFORMED CONTEST
FROM BAIDU VIZ PRODUCT:
http://tushuo.baidu.com/p.php?p=dta8dmpds8hkvksww
Professor Dunham’s Ten Commandments for journalism ethics in a multimedia world
Posted: April 11, 2014 Filed under: Dunham's Discourses, Journalism Training, Rick's Rules | Tags: BusinessWeek, ethics, journalism ethics, Journalism Training, Multimedia Business Journalism, National Public Radio, Pew Research Center, plagiarism, Society of Professional Journalists, Ten Commandments, TMZ, Tsinghua University 3 Comments
In the classroom at Tsinghua. (Photo by Zhang Sihan)
Journalism ethics are universal. But some ethical issues take on an added dimension on multimedia platforms.
After spending nearly two decades in digital journalism — writing an online column for BusinessWeek, creating two blogs and teaching multimedia journalism — I have boiled down my advice for my Tsinghua University Global Business Journalism students to ten commandments. Here they are:
•1. Thou shalt not steal
- Don’t lift other people’s posts. Or quotations. Or photographs.
- Intellectual property is intellectual property. If you don’t have the right to reproduce a photo or an article – even with attribution – don’t do it!
- Make sure to properly attribute any quotation you pull from another source. Every single time!
- If the original published source of your item turns out to be incorrect, you can be held liable for civil penalties in courts of law if you republish the falsehood.
•2. Thou shalt get it right.
- 24/7 deadlines are no excuse to get it wrong.
- Carefully attribute all facts you cannot confirm.
- Just because somebody else published it on the Internet or sent it out by social media doesn’t make it true.
- Just because somebody told you something doesn’t make it true. As the old journalism saying goes, even if your mother told you, check it out.
- Better to wait a few minutes to confirm or disprove a post than to get it wrong, wrong, wrong.
- As the Pew Research Journalism Project wrote: “Even in a world of expanding voices, accuracy is the foundation upon which everything else is built.”
•3. Thou shalt repent with speed and sincerity.
- If you get something wrong, or link to another source who got it wrong, make sure you correct the mistake. Pronto. Your credibility is on the line.
- Make sure to send corrections to your followers via social media. Falsehoods can go viral and it’s very hard to reel them back in.
- If you made a mistake and others linked to your post, inform them of your mistake. Pronto.
- Apologize.
- Learn from your mistake.
- Because of the instantaneous nature of digital communication, correcting errors is more important – and difficult — than ever.
•4. Thou shalt avoid gratuitous personal attacks.
- Multimedia journalism provides you a basketful of communications options. Don’t use them to be childish, petulant or rude.
- The same rules of fair play apply online as apply in traditional media.
- Don’t mistake “snark” and “attitude” for wit and cleverness.
•5. Thou shalt be fair and balanced.
- It’s not a partisan slogan. It’s our goal as journalists.
- Fairness should never be sacrificed at the altar of an artificial deadline.
- Efforts should be made to contact public figures referred to or criticized in multimedia reports.
- Avoid sensationalism or distortion that is designed to win you “clicks” or “page views.”
- A few tips from the Society of Professional Journalists:
- “Make certain that headlines, news teases and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.”
- “Never distort the content of news photos or video.”
•6. Thou shalt not use unnamed sources to attack others.
- It’s a sure sign of a journalism amateur or poseur.
- People have a right to know who your sources are, with rare exceptions.
- People have a right to know your sources’ motives.
- If someone is too cowardly to attach their name to an attack quote, it tells you something about the person.
- As SPJ writes, “The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.”
•7. Thou shalt live in a glass house.
- Don’t do anything you would criticize someone else for doing.
- Journalists are public figures. Hypocrisy is news, whether the hypocrite is a politician or a reporter.
- From National Public Radio’s Ethics Handbook: •“We hold those who serve and influence the public to a high standard when we report about their actions. We must ask no less of ourselves.”
•8. Thou shalt never give false witness about who you are.
- It is always unethical to pose as someone else to collect information for stories.
- You should identify who you are and for whom you work.
- You should never identify yourself simply as a “citizen,” a “constituent” or a “consumer.”
9. Thou shalt not pay sources for information.
- Or interviews.
- It’s unethical. It separates infotainment sites from journalism sites. Let TMZ.com get the paid-for celebrity scandal scoop. Better to keep your soul.
•10. Thou shalt not be paid off.
- Don’t take money to post, publish or air something.
- Don’t show favoritism toward sponsors, advertisers or donors.
- Disclose any conflicts of interest you or your publication may have.
- Transparency allows your audience to weigh your credibility.
As SPJ’s code of ethics declares, “Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility.”
We owe it to the public. And ourselves.
Professor Dunham’s first lecture
Posted: September 20, 2013 Filed under: Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training | Tags: Global Business Journalism, Journalism Training, Tsinghua University Leave a comment
Professor Dunham’s first lecture, a set on Flickr.
My new life is in full swing now. I taught my first multimedia journalism class on Wednesday to my first-year Global Business Journalism students and Tsinghua University’s international journalism students.
The class is big in size and in talent. As a first project, they took photos during the lecture. Here’s their report.
In case you have trouble opening the Flickr slide show in your browser, here’s a direct link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95088907@N05/sets/72157635675220655/
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