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Is no news business news?
Thu, Sep 3 2009 05:29 AM
| newspapers, Indianapolis Star, business
| Permalink
The departure of John Ketzenberger from the Indianapolis Star should be a red flag to those who care about the future of the central Indiana business community.
This is not to say that a journalist should never leave the business or that no one can be replaced. Ketzenberger's wisdom, experience and commitment to the community will continue to be an asset in his new role at the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute.
The warning sign, rather, is that the position of business columnist at the largest newspaper in the state is not a stable platform. Look to the suburban Journal-News papers in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York, like the Star a Gannett property.
There, every news and advertising department employee was required to re-apply for his or her position. The newsroom staff was cut by one-fourth, including the entire business news group.
Here is where wisdom and experience tells you that you should make this your stop and get off the train. What happened in Westchester easily can happen here.
Reporting the truth about business successes, failures, crimes and trends is crucial to good decisions by investors, consumers and governments. It's often difficult work that requires good sources and the ability to understand what you see.
Aside from Ketzenberger and a couple of reporters, serious business coverage at the Star has been thin. Considering the alternative is nothing, thin may be worth preserving in this market. What else is there?
While Gerry Dick's "Inside Indiana Business" news machine is prolific and available through many channels, it is largely a non-critical deliverer of corporate messages.
The Indianapolis Business Journal is the must-read for business in town. IBJ scraps hard at the news with its limited staff. If the Star follows the Westchester model, will IBJ need to keep trying?
This is not to say that a journalist should never leave the business or that no one can be replaced. Ketzenberger's wisdom, experience and commitment to the community will continue to be an asset in his new role at the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute.
The warning sign, rather, is that the position of business columnist at the largest newspaper in the state is not a stable platform. Look to the suburban Journal-News papers in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York, like the Star a Gannett property.
There, every news and advertising department employee was required to re-apply for his or her position. The newsroom staff was cut by one-fourth, including the entire business news group.
Here is where wisdom and experience tells you that you should make this your stop and get off the train. What happened in Westchester easily can happen here.
Reporting the truth about business successes, failures, crimes and trends is crucial to good decisions by investors, consumers and governments. It's often difficult work that requires good sources and the ability to understand what you see.
Aside from Ketzenberger and a couple of reporters, serious business coverage at the Star has been thin. Considering the alternative is nothing, thin may be worth preserving in this market. What else is there?
While Gerry Dick's "Inside Indiana Business" news machine is prolific and available through many channels, it is largely a non-critical deliverer of corporate messages.
The Indianapolis Business Journal is the must-read for business in town. IBJ scraps hard at the news with its limited staff. If the Star follows the Westchester model, will IBJ need to keep trying?
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