The terms business news and business journalism are used to describe a wide range of news articles that focus on the economic and financial activities of businesses, industries and individuals. Business news articles often appear in newspapers, magazines, online and on television. These articles cover a broad range of topics from large global events to the details of a single company. Business news can also be found in trade publications that focus on specific industries.
Businesses are entities that provide goods and/or services for monetary compensation. Businesses can be for-profit or not-for-profit. For-profit businesses generally return profit to their owners, while not-for-profit businesses invest all profit into achieving stated goals or improving infrastructure. Businesses can be large or small, privately owned or publicly owned.
Some people use the term business news to refer to articles that focus on the day-to-day operations of a company, including issues like hiring, firing and workplace culture. These articles are important to read as they can help identify potential problems before they arise and guide decision-makers in avoiding or mitigating them. However, other people use the term business news to refer to more broad economic and political news that affects all businesses, regardless of size or industry. These articles can include news about governmental policies, international trade, employment trends and macroeconomic issues.
Financial news is an essential part of business news for individuals, as it can have a direct impact on investment portfolios and personal finances. Financial news covers a broad range of topics, including corporate reporting, developments in both public and private finance (i.e., debt issuance and market data), and can be an effective indicator of overall sentiment regarding companies, individuals, policies and more.
A business’s pursuit of profit can lead to some unethical decisions, but many businesses make positive contributions to society. Unfortunately, it is easy to point fingers at those at the top of a business for these actions. Whether it is due to greed, insufficient oversight or general insensitivity, a failure of leadership is often at the root of these incidents.
This article was compiled by the Business Reference Services team at the Library of Congress. We encourage you to contact them with any questions you may have about our collection or broader research needs. For more information, please visit our Ask-a-Librarian page. This service is available to users around the world via email or chat. In addition, the librarians at our Reference Desks are happy to assist you with your research. This guide is focused on resources available in the Library of Congress, but there are many more print and microform sources for business news in other collections around the country.