Economic Reporting: Too Little, Too Short, Too Shallow?

The quality and quantity of economic reporting has changed significantly in recent years. This is the consensus of the panel of experts, which was broadcasted in the programme "Standpunkte TV [Standpoints TV]" on "Wirtschaftsberichterstattung im Norden [Economic Reporting in the North]" on 26 December 2018 at 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m on Hamburg 1. Prof. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink, director of the Hans-Bredow-Institut in Hamburg, sees a "change of technology" in the media world. "Nowadays, more and more content of varying quality and very different actors is being presented to a wider audience," says the communication scientist.

Dr. Nico Fickinger, managing director of NORDMETALL, criticises a strong focus on marginal issues. "Basic issues such as wage agreements or working time regulation, which affect every employee, are not adequately portrayed in the media," says the employers' representative.

Lars Kläschen, press spokesman of Siemens in Northern Germany, confirms it, "In many cases it is true – ‚Bad News are good News'." The possible closing down of the Siemens plant in Görlitz has been widely reported but the attempt to save it has received far less attention.

Christoph Kapalschinski, editor of 'Handelsblatt' in Hamburg, pointed to the strategy of his newspaper, which is successful, "We set our own topics, deliver the great analysis." This makes the paper independent of the instant information on the Internet.

Rolf Lindenberg, regional communications manager of Alfa Laval, sees further opportunities for the media work of companies in dealing with the trade press. "The deeper we go into new techniques, the more likely it is that the growing trust in specialised journalists will play a role," says the press spokesman of the  Pressesprecher the manufacturer of products for material separation and heat transfer based in Glinde near Hamburg.




Every last Wednesday of the month, the NORDMETALL's editor-in-chief of ‘Standpunkte’, Alexander Luckow, invites guests from business, politics and society to a 45-minute discussion on topics concerning the metal and electro industry, its employees and customers.