"The guide is divided into three parts. The first provides background and basic concepts of economics and business, including how economies are managed, how companies operate, how capital markets work, and how the rest of the world fits in. The second part gives practical reporting and writing tips, such as where to find the best resources and how to conduct interviews. Part III tells journalists how to tackle everyday stories and describes investigative techniques and strategies for covering specific beats. Finally, the glossary at the end of the guide should prove a handy reference for anyone who writes about business and economics." (Pages xi-xii)

"More than sixty individuals contributed to this work as writers, editors, and reviewers. The essays were written by alumni of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship in Economics and Business Journalism, a midcareer program at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. This guide is their gift to the Fellowship on its twenty-fifth anniversary. This is a second, totally revised edition of the Knight-Bagehot Guide, which was first published in 1991 and edited by Pamela Hollie Kluge. Though most of the material presented here is new, the mission of this guide is the same as that of the original— to demystify business and economics and to help journalists do an important job well." (Preface)