Understanding financial statements
While many journalists focus on press releases about companies’ performance, financial statements — found in a company’s 10-Q and 10-K filings with the SEC — are the no-spin zone of business reporting.
Tip Sheets
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How to use SEC filings to cover companies
Six important Securities and Exchange Commission filings that business journalists need to know how to read quickly and effectively.
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Reading economic data releases from the government
Writing about the economy has to involve numbers, but it doesn’t have to be deadly dull. While the numbers are the story, a good economic journalist uses real-life examples to make those numbers come alive.
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Committee of Concerned Journalists: The principles of journalism
In 1997 the Committee of Concerned Journalists began a national conversation to identify the principles that underlie journalism.
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Acronyms
Short guide to acronyms, including capitalization, use of periods, articles and more
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Associated Press style basics
The basics of Associated Press style from Boston University’s College of Communications.
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Chicago Manual of Style basics
If The Associated Press Stylebook was created specifically for journalists, the target audience of The Chicago Manual of Style is much broader — all writing and writers.
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Breaking-news leads
PoynterOnline’s Chip Scanlan on the history of the classic structure for hard-news stories.
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Basic principles of writing a story lead
A lead (also known as a lede) is the first paragraph or several paragraphs of a story, be it a blog entry or a long article. Its mission is to catch readers’ attention and draw them in.
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Code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists
A good place to learn about journalists’ rights and responsibilities is the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists, which is widely used in newsrooms and classrooms as a guide for ethical behavior.
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