Perhaps the most frequent question I receive as a magazine editor is how do journalists decide what shows up in publications, broadcasts and the internet.
Since the dawn of the printing press, that’s been a common query. An old joke in the newspaper business was that news is whatever the publisher’s spouse saw on his or her morning commute. Surely, it’s a bit more complex.
It’s a more interesting issue as the news business loses influence in an increasingly cynical world. “Fake news” and “enemy of the people” are now in the journalism lexicon, which is a long way from the days of Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley.
The key goal of Business North Carolina’s magazine and daily online report is to shine a light on people and enterprises that are making a major impact on the state. Other goals are to reflect the state’s diverse industries and regions, and to explain compelling trends. It’s an impossible, enjoyable task in a state with more than 11 million residents, each with a story to tell.
My favorite stories inform readers about people and companies they don’t know or understand, but are stirring the drink in important and/or interesting ways. This month’s feature on 25 key female executives is an effort to fill that mission. Stories on bankers Hope Holding Bryant and Kristin Lesher and hospital CEO Cristy Page, among others, are examples of dynamic rainmakers.
Keep this between us, but journalism is particularly intriguing when the subjects don’t want publicity. Mostly, that’s because they are decent folks who just don’t like the limelight. A tiny minority don’t want the world to know of their success. An even tinier fraction want to get away with something. Normal folks call it prying. But journalists get paid to dig and explain.
To be sure, most of the better stories come from eager sources willing to open up. Our January article on the largest single-death verdict in state history followed a phone call from the lawyer on the winning side. Will Owen knew it was a compelling story, and he addressed every question, including what he thinks of people who despise plaintiff’s lawyers.
In short, we love getting pitches, even if deemed self-serving.
What about bias, that pesky issue that inspires constant media criticism? It strikes me as inevitable because we’re all creatures of our environment.
Big-city journalists are going to lean left politically, given they live and work in cities largely dominated by liberal-leaning residents and values. The major media groups reflect their surroundings, and protestations otherwise rarely pass the common sense test.
While a centrist approach once dominated the media, the current landscape is mostly split between organizations with distinct conservative or progressive worldviews. Maintaining a centrist balance is increasingly rare, just like in politics and churches.
Bias also shows up because many journalists view their work in social-justice terms, hoping to correct wrongs. It’s a noble mission, fraught with problems. Few journalists are experts on any specific subject. Even if they are, few readers care about a reporter’s opinion. They just want to know what’s happening.
That’s my answer to how stuff shows up. Media credibility rests on understanding one’s biases and remaining open to others’ perspectives.
My goal for 2026 is that our reports avoid the know-it-alls and virtue-signalers, and spotlight those who are advancing the greater good — or folks who just want to tell a good story. ■
David Mildenberg is editor of Business North Carolina. Reach him at dmildenberg@businessnc.com.