The Bloomberg Way (14^th Ed.) A Guide for Journalists Bloomberg Series

The Bloomberg Way is the journalist′s guide to business and financial reporting, with authoritative editorial guidance from the Editor–in–Chief of Bloomberg News. The lines between objectivity and opinion are becoming increasingly blurred, and the reality of today′s media is that speed is paramount; this book shows you how to be the first to report without sacrificing accuracy or journalistic integrity along the way. Author Matthew Winkler walks step–by–step through the entire reporting process to describe the best practices used by an elite reporting institution, specific to reporting on the business and finance sectors. You′ll learn how to avoid the common mistakes that catch reporters unawares, and learn insider tactics for working within the 24–hour news cycle. The discussion includes expert tips for taking a story from pitch to publication, along with extensive coverage of public responsibility, transparency, libel, and other ethical issues.

Covering business and finance is a high–stakes specialty. While Journalism 101 still applies, this book goes way beyond to describe the essential Bloomberg guidelines for interviewing, writing, headlines, accuracy, and more.

• Use the appropriate style, voice, and jargon
• Cover markets and report on stocks, bonds, and currencies
• Discuss debt, earnings, and M&A with authority in business stories
• Follow the money when reporting on opinion polls and government financing

Today′s economy, business climate, and media environment have come together to ignite a perfect storm; instantaneous impact, widespread ripple effects, and global market influences make the business and finance reporter′s job more high–stakes than ever. Accuracy and integrity are critical, and "assuming" can end your career. The Bloomberg Way provides the need–to–know guidelines that help business and finance reporters build a solid reputation.

Introduction ix

Chapter 1: What We Do 1

The Bloomberg Way 2

Bloomberg Editorial & Research 4

Collaboration in Action 9

Chapter 2 How We Report 15

Learning a Beat 15

Sourcing 21

Interviewing 26

Breaking News 30

The Multiplatform Approach 33

Beyond Breaking News 37

Pitching Your Story 42

Research Using the Terminal 44

Chapter 3 How We Write 49

Headlines 50

Leads & Nut Paragraphs 60

The Whole Story 69

Writing Well 74

Corrections & Lapses 80

Sending Corrections 83

Social Media 83

Chapter 4 How We Use Data 91

Charting 92

Commonly Used Terms 95

Common Errors 100

Automation 101

Technical Analysis 103

Chapter 5 Ethics & Standards 107

Accuracy & Fairness 108

Defamation 110

Privacy 113

Access 114

Plagiarism 115

Conflicts of Interest 116

Conduct 120

Endorsements & Paying Our Way 122

Events & Interviews 123

Contests 124

Chapter 6 How We Cover Markets 127

What’s Moving (& Why) 128

Traders & Investors 131

Markets Style 133

Equities 135

Debt 138

Currencies 143

Commodities 147

Chapter 7 How We Cover Companies 153

Earnings 154

Deals 160

Corporate Debt 166

Finding News 170

Context & Valuation 173

Corporate Equity 177

Chapter 8 How We Cover Economies & Governments 183

Economies 184

Governments 192

Acknowledgments 197

Appendix 199

Words & Terms 213

Index 323

John Micklethwait has been the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg Editorial & Research since 2015. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief of The Economist.

Paul Addison and Jennifer Sondag are editors for global training. Paul joined Bloomberg in 1994, and Jennifer joined in 2000.

Bill Grueskin is a professor at Columbia Journalism School. Previously, he was Bloomberg's executive editor for global training.