Financial Reporting

Big companies like Bloomberg and Reuters, and the big guns of CNBC WERE the platforms for which financial information flowed to the public as well as business to business.

Now bloggers have come from all over to help spread information about businesses they deal with on a day to day basis. The message and brand is no longer direclty controlled by the company which originates it. Consumers and employees are both responsible for creating and transmitting the message.

But the bigger news companies still have direct access, they are given one on one interviews with company owners and CEOs to ask the big questions. We need them to be bold enough to do their job, and ask tough questions. The onus is on each journalist to judge the research required. By doing their homework, they can limit the lies an interviewee can express.

Who are financial journalists customers? Are they the viewing audience of potential investors trying to make sense of the state of the market and investment options, or are they the corporate sponsors who pay for advertising? Should financial institutions be allowed to spin doctor their own stories at the expense of the individual investor?