November 12, 2018
SHARE
CANADALAND
#252 Is Business News Amoral, Immoral, Or Just Evil?
Guest host Karen K. Ho explores how ethical concerns are becoming a core component of many big business stories, and what some reporters are doing to expand business journalism’s audience and sources.

When the CBC tweeted out a series of news alerts following Brazil’s election of a far-right presidential candidate… people had a lot to say. The tweets flagged, “fresh opportunities for Canadian companies looking to invest in the resource-rich country” and noted President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s free market and pro-business stance  but neglected to initially mention his sexism, homophobia, and open declaration of being in favor of a dictatorship.  

The tweets went viral, with readers and journalists alike expressing outrage with the CBC’s framing, but some were surprised by the attention it drew, saying that analysis focused on investment opportunity was common and could be found in any mainstream business publication. 

So, was this a misunderstanding of the role and audience of business news, or an example of irresponsible journalism? 

Guest host Karen K. Ho explores how these ethical concerns are becoming a core component of many big stories, and what some reporters are doing to expand business journalism’s audience and sources. Bloomberg’s Jordyn Holman who covers gender, race and class, and Bill Grueskin, former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, join Karen.


Illustration by Cari Vander Yacht for Bloomberg’s podcast The Pay Check

This episode is sponsored by Audible and HelloFresh. 

More from this series
Have the business practices of one of the world's biggest liquor monopolies damaged wine writing? And, is the environment created by this vacuum in the world of journalism being abused by some high profile writers?
September 18, 2023
When some Canadians look south of the border, sometimes all they can think is: thank god I’m Canadian. But can a Coffee Crisp, or the pronunciation of the letter Z, really save us from the rise of fascism?
September 11, 2023
It’s possible that Chantal Hébert’s journalism once held Canada together. She joins Jesse for a discussion about what’s appropriate in political news coverage, and what (if anything) needs to change.
September 4, 2023
Canada’s biggest grocery chains spent nearly 2 billion last year buying up their own stocks.
August 28, 2023
Foreign Interference by the Chinese government into Canadian politics is probably the biggest news story of the year, and yet we know so little about it. What was the interference? Why did it occur? Did it work? Who was involved?
August 21, 2023
What’s it like to podcast in a country where freedom of expression can land you in jail?
August 14, 2023
Jesse Brown might think himself quite the question master, but today the tables have turned and our guest host, Jonathan Torrens, investigates the inner workings of this show's host.
August 7, 2023
What does Toronto’s response to the refugee crisis actually look like? We follow asylum seekers at 129 Peter Street as they search for a place to spend the night.
July 31, 2023
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
CANADALAND