The Economy in Turmoil: Challenges to the White House, the Statehouse and Your House

Jan. 14, 2008

Watch the archived webinar at NewsU

Sources to guide your reporting on the economy

The news is changing daily: the Dow is volatile, unemployment is up, foreclosures are skyrocketing, deflation is rumored, credit is frozen, consumer spending is down.

And it affects much of what we cover, from state governments (can they afford schools and health care?) to the theater (can people afford to attend?) to highways and bridges (will public works projects target them?).

This one-hour Webinar (Watch the archived webinar at NewsU) provided critical information for journalists who cover a vast array of topics: from Wall Street to Main Street; the banking and insurance industries; federal, state and local governments; transportation; consumer issues; and much more. Whether you cover this issue on a national, state or local basis, you'll learn how to guide your readers and viewers through this complicated story.

You'll learn:

  • What "recession" means, how it has come to be and how this one differs from previous recessions
  • About the stimulus package put in place by the Bush administration and the steps the Obama administration is likely to take
  • How to interpret complicated employment reports and other statistical indicators
  • About key players involved in setting economic policy, including the White House, Congress and the Federal Reserve System
  • What to look for in the months ahead

Jake Schlesinger, assistant Washington Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, prepared this source list to ground reporters in these issues.

About the presenter: Douglas Holtz-Eakin has had a long career in academia, think tanks and government. He was the policy director for John McCain 2008, served as the sixth director of the Congressional Budget Office, and served at the White House Council of Economic Advisers in two administrations. He has held positions at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Council on Foreign Relations, Syracuse University, Princeton University and Columbia University.

Watch the archived webinar at NewsU