Who's Running the Company? - International Center for Journalists

CHAPTER 7
Writing and reporting tips
Ethical considerations for business reporters are not much different from those for
reporters covering politics, sports or any other topic, but there are some special
considerations and perhaps more opportunities for conflicts of interest to arise.
Many reporters, however, have bought simple, inexpensive
videocameras or digital recorders so that they can
collect their own digital media to post online.
Some reporting requires courage
Journalists who reveal wrongdoing while digging into
company finances and operations may find themselves
facing pressure from large corporations and wealthy business
people.
Reporters may even find that their editors or publishers
shy away from tough stories or investigative journalism,
perhaps for fear of offending big advertisers, influential
business people or powerful politicians. Making a case for
publication can be difficult, but journalists who can show
that their stories are meticulously researched and fair to
STORY TOOLBOX
Where to find early tipoffs for stories?
Social media has become a favorite source for journalists,
who regularly check financial blogs, sign up for
“tweets” and check social networks such as Facebook.
Felix Salmon’s financial blog for Reuters, “A slice of lime
in the soda,” often has breaking news about company
events and management changes.
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/
Zero Hedge is another blog that got journalists’ attention
by delving deeply into sometimes arcane financial
issues that are not the stuff of daily mainstream
journalism, but can serve as a source of ideas for other
journalists. http://www.zerohedge.com/
Both Salmon’s blog and Zero Hedge have established
a reputation for accuracy and reliability, but journalists
should exercise the usual caution in checking social
networks and blogs.
all sides will have a better chance of convincing higherups
that a story deserves to be published.
The best defense against efforts to intimidate or thwart
publication is accuracy. But sometimes, even that is not
enough.
A story involving a powerful businessman in Indonesia
caused a firestorm for Bambang Harymurti, then chief
editor of Tempo, Indonesia’s largest news magazine.
The story detailed accusations that a suspicious fire in a
market in Jakarta in 2003 might have been connected to a
developer’s plans to build an expensive commercial shopping
center on the site.
The businessman behind the development, Tomy Winata,
sued Harymurti and two of the editor’s colleagues for civil
defamation. Then the government got into the act, charging
criminal defamation and asking for two-year sentences
for the journalists. The charges produced an outcry from
journalists around the world, who said that prosecuting
the Tempo staff members under criminal law rather than
the press law was a major setback for democracy and
press freedom in Indonesia.
Harymurti was found guilty of libeling the businessman
and sentenced to a year in prison. The two reporters were
acquitted. But the Supreme Court of Indonesia ultimately
reversed the lower-court decision and said the journalists
should have been tried under the press law.
Lawsuits represent a major threat to journalists, but
pressure from corporations and public relations representatives
are far more common occurrences. Negative
stories can prompt an immediate reaction, especially if
the subject of the story is a major advertiser. Support from
editors and owners is critically important to resisting such
pressure.
A number of organizations provide resources and support
for investigative journalism. These include tutorials, selfdirected
courses and examples of investigative journalism.
Among these organizations are:
Center for Investigative Reporting: http://cironline.org/
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WHO’S RUNNING THE COMPANY?