PHOENIX, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. business journalists – who report daily on the economy in their communities – say they expect their local economic conditions, including the number of jobs available, to improve in the next six months, according to a new survey commissioned by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.

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The Reynolds Center survey is an effort to see if business journalists, who track local economic developments, might be prescient about the direction of the U.S. economy, said Executive Director Linda Austin.

"Business journalists expressed optimism in the last survey, conducted in July, about what would happen in their local economies, and several national economic indicators have recently shown improvement," she said. "In the January survey, they are even more bullish."

Findings of the most recent phone survey, conducted Jan. 18-24, of 300 randomly selected business journalists, include:

• Almost half say they think general business conditions in their area will be better in six months. That was up from about a third who said that last July.
• About eight out of 10 say local jobs are in short supply. But about four out of 10 expect more jobs to be available locally in six months.
• Four out of 10 say their local housing market will improve in the next six months.

The firm that conducted the survey also asks the general public about the economy. Its president, Jim Haynes, says business journalists' greater optimism than the general public may reflect their closer reading of economic data.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
What Business Journalists Think about their Local Economy (PDF) was conducted by the Behavior Research Center Inc., using questions similar to those in The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Survey®. The phone survey, conducted Jan. 18-24, has a margin of error of +/- 5 percent. Interviewed were 300 randomly selected business journalists, who came from print, online, broadcast, wire services and freelancing.

ABOUT THE REYNOLDS CENTER

The Reynolds Center is at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix. More than 13,500 journalists have benefited from the Reynolds Center's free training since 2003. Its mission is to help journalists cover business better. It is funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a national philanthropic organization founded in 1954 by the late media entrepreneur for whom it is named. Headquartered in Las Vegas, it is one of the largest private foundations in the United States.

OTHER REYNOLDS CENTER RESEARCH:

• U.S. business journalists' median salary is $56,220, Aug. 15, 2011.
• U.S. business journalists optimistic their local economies will improve, Aug. 10, 2011.
• U.S. business journalists express confidence in journalism's future, June 22, 2010.

For more information, email Linda Austin, executive director of the Reynolds Center, or call 602-496-9187.

SOURCE Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.businessjournalism.org