December 1, 2009
As an Enterprise Reporter at The Seattle Times, I've been covering bankruptcy and foreclosure trends in Washington state over the past year. When I saw that this year's Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists (Oct. 18-21) would delve into the causes and consequences of the economic crisis, I applied for an AAJA Knowledge@Wharton fellowship, which covers tuition.
I was thrilled to receive the award and have the chance to meet Wharton faculty and a global group of journalists. There were reporters from the United States, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Brazil, Ghana, and Finland. Every day was intense, as the professors gave us a condensed version of what they teach to Wharton MBAs. We discussed the economic crisis, executive pay, and other topics, but also learned how to use financial statements in our reporting. I came back to work with new story ideas, new contacts and a deeper understanding of how we got into the worst economic recession since the 1930s. Thank you to all the sponsors of this worthwhile program.