Business matters
| 15:25 UK time, Friday, 4 April 2008
Today we launched internally a fantastic new section on our College of Journalism website supporting all journalists who cover business and economics. It follows a report last year by Sir Alan Budd monitoring the quantity, quality and impartiality of our business coverage (which you can read here in pdf). He found there was no systematic bias but that sometimes we lacked balance and too often stressed the consumer perspective.
Of course, that was all before . What a difference a year makes. It seems hardly a day goes by without Robert Peston or Evan Davis (now replaced by Stephanie Flanders) analysing and explaining the latest twist and turns of the global economy and using terms in their blogs that would give hedge fund managers a headache. I actually overheard a conversation at the tea bar the other day where the term '»å±ð-±ô±ð±¹±ð°ù²¹²µ¾±²Ô²µâ€™ was being bandied about.
Sir Alan commented in his report that there was a lack of commercial awareness in some parts of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ. I'd love to get him back in for another look, but he'd better be ready for a decent debate.
Comments
As an ambitious person who is determined, once again, to step onto the 'business start-up' ladder, I am continuously frustrated of the little or no emphasis on those contemplating starting-up a small business or already own a small business. There are so many issues with banks, Government Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme (SFLGS) failings and other issues that challenge the success of the Small Business Community instead of supporting it. Instead, there always is a day-to-day emphasis on the 'Big Boys' in large businesses. Unfortunately, many of us on this site cannot relate to this. If we could, I am sure we wouldn't have the time to contribute to this site... right!
I am currently going through an appalling situation where my start-up business plan was confirmed viable by a bank then the banks commercial loan procedure took 5-months to complete instead of the stated 5-weeks. This failing, failed our business before it even had the opportunity to start. As a result of these failings my business colleague and I have lost ALL - our "viable" business, our HOMES and ALL that we have worked hard towards over a joint 40year period. The FOS decided it was not going to be thorough in its investigation and decided to agree with the bank. It is Principle alone that has driven me to keep the challenge going. I am tired, stressed and lack (media) support to these damaging REAL business issues.
All these highly qualified directors responsible for the affairs of financial concerns and the savings of the many small investors in those concerns.
All the many financial experts in the media world pontificating daily about their research on behalf of the many small investors.
Not a word until the announcement of a crisis large enough to bring down large banks.
What were these experts doing? Did none of them know what was going on? Why in this allegedly open democratic society was this kept secret for many years?
More importantly what information on perhaps more important matters is suffering the same fate?
Sure that's lovely for you.
When do you we get to see it?