Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Reifenberg used her annual lecture at the Asian College of Journalism to introduce students to the first principles of journalism, and urged aspiring business journalists to always “follow the money” while chasing stories.

“Money makes the world go round,” Reifenberg, who currently works as an editor at Bloomberg News, said via Zoom on July 12.

She discussed how business journalists could create an impact, make a story worth reading and speak truth to power.

Enlightening and entertaining the target audience and introducing them to new parts of the world while striving to make a difference is what makes one a good journalist, the veteran reporter pointed out.

Reifenberg worried about the erosion of local journalism and also discussed the challenges faced by young journalists.

She urged the students to be accurate and fair, and write stories that bring a “Hey! Did you read that story?” response from the audience.