ABSTRACT
Throughout the 20th century and well into the 21st, legacy media outlets’ framing of business news coverage largely presumed that their audience was affluent, plugged in and familiar with the rhythms of Wall Street. But since the late 2000s, a cohort of digitally native media outlets has propelled new forms of business journalism aimed at audiences beyond executives, stockholders and money managers. Business Insider evolved from a tech-industry blog into a global media enterprise courting the attention of millennial professionals with a mix of business, lifestyle and entertainment coverage. Cheddar News live-streams financial news directly to social media feeds and digital platforms. Quartz launched as a mobile-first guide to the new global economy. And in August 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic inflicted disproportionate economic impacts on women and people of color, nonprofit news startup The 19th debuted with a lead story declaring “America’s first female recession.” At a time when the country was becoming more diverse and wealth inequalities were widening, innovative editors and media entrepreneurs spotted an opportunity to deliver business news to broader and younger audiences, all of whom have a stake in the American economy. This chapter examines some of the key players in that evolution.
