We Mean Business

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Lauren Auverset, Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication at the University of Louisiana. The discussion explores the historical context and evolution of parasocial relationships, the rise of influencer culture across new media platforms, and influencer responsibility and ethical standards in an online world.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Jacob Teeny, Associate Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University. The discussion explores personalized persuasion, the difference between persuasion and manipulation, AI’s role in automating advertising, and the ethical and societal implications of these changes.

In this episode, Quỳnh Lê interviews Marianne Jennings, an emeritus professor of legal and ethical studies in business at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business. The discussion looks at business ethics, corporate responsibility and how to spot the signs of ethical trouble before things fall apart.   Source note: The introduction includes brief archival audio about Boeing, Wells Fargo and FTX, from public YouTube recordings.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Daniel Mochon, Associate Professor of Marketing at Tulane University. The discussion explores the confrontation effect in consumer behavior, why content that sparks outrage is so effective at driving engagement, and whether a healthier online environment is possible in the future.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Evan Weingarten, Assistant Professor of Marketing at USC Marshall School of Business. The discussion explores why nostalgia strikes a chord wxith consumers, how it influences buying decisions and brand perception, and what behavioral research reveals about its psychological pull.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Benjamin Klopack, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Texas A&M University. The discussion tackles how subscription models shape consumer behavior and how proposed regulations may affect consumer protection going forward.

In this edition of We Mean Business: “How They Did It,” Ananya Bhargava talks to Brontë Wittpenn about her recent award-winning coverage on the systemic use of a flawed estimator tool, 360Value, that leaves homeowners drastically underinsured. “Burned” won the 2025 Gold prize in the Barlett and Steele Awards Regional/Local category. Visit the San Francisco Chronicle to read their investigation or businessjournalism.org/awards to view all the 2025 winners.

In this episode of How They Did It, Quỳnh Lê talks with Alexa York, winner of the 2025 Barlett & Steele Award for Outstanding Young Journalist. York shares how her investigation at The Blade revealed radioactive groundwater contamination in Luckey, Ohio, a discovery that led to state and federal action. Now a graduate student at Columbia University, she reflects on what it took to report the story and what she’s still working to uncover.

In this edition of We Mean Business: “How They Did It,” Ananya Bhargava interviews Megan Fan Munce and Susie Neilson about their recent award-winning investigation “Burned.” This investigation highlights the systemic use of a flawed estimator tool, 360Value, that leaves homeowners drastically underinsured. The reporters showed that 360Value relies on outdated and incomplete data that consistently understates the actual cost of rebuilding homes, often by hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Their series won the 2025 Gold prize in the Barlett and Steele Awards Regional/Local category. Visit the San Francisco Chronicle to read their investigation or businessjournalism.org/awards to view all the 2025 winners.

Since 2021, college athletes have been able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) through brand deals and endorsements. However, starting July 1, 2025, due to a legal settlement with the NCAA, athletes will be able to be paid directly through their universities. This brings up a lot of new questions about the business of college sports.  In this episode, George Headley speaks with journalist Laine Higgins about the future of college sports as she sees it. Higgins has been covering the NIL era of college sports for the Wall Street Journal for the past few years and has closely watched the myriad of changes in real time. Here is what she has to say about her experience and what other reporters can expect to see moving forward.

According to Veterans Affairs, there are nearly 32,882 veterans who were deemed homeless in January 2024. Nonprofits across the nation seeking to assist veterans face similar issues, especially in how they receive funding, and have developed their own unique business models to assist this population. In this episode, George Headley speaks with two nonprofit organizations that were established to reduce veteran homelessness. Ben Hendershot, the vice president of national expansion at Veterans Community Project, discusses the organization’s latest expansion to Glendale, Arizona, and how they partner with many private entities and the local government to achieve their goals. Similarly, Colleen Corliss, chief development officer at Swords to Plowshares, discusses how the organization regularly partners with Veterans Affairs to fulfill its mission and partners with private entities to fill gaps in its funding model.

The vast majority of drugs prescribed in the United States, including antidepressants, antibiotics, and sedatives, are generic drugs, many of which are manufactured in overseas factories. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with enforcing drug safety standards and regulations, a ProPublica investigation found that many drugs still made it to the U.S. despite not meeting those standards.   In this episode, George Headley speaks with Northwestern professor and ProPublica reporter Debbie Cenziper, who, alongside a team of reporters including her students, published a series of stories about the FDA’s oversight of international drug companies. The team spent 14 months investigating the agency and found that it had allowed more than 150 drugs in the U.S. that should have been deemed too risky for distribution. 

Congressional stock trading has been the topic of many pieces of legislation this past decade, but the U.S. is entering a new era with the Trump administration. After tariff movements that led to Democratic lawmakers proposing a ban on congressional stock trading, one journalist says it is a rare occasion where both sides are on the same page at the same time. In this episode, George Headley speaks with Dave Levinthal, an investigative journalist and former deputy editor at Business Insider. Levinthal has examined politicians who have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act and reported award-winning content throughout the years. He says covering this topic is a passion project of his and allows him to continue to produce watchdog journalism aimed at those in power.

While Substack may be a departure from the traditional news formula, its platform has benefited many journalists, including Joseph Politano, the data journalist behind Apricitas Economics. In this episode of We Mean Business, George Headley interviews Politano about what drove him to start his Substack newsletter and what drives him to continue publishing it today. While the initial venture may have been to boost his portfolio for prospective employers, Politano has found satisfaction in breaking down complicated data for readers, even when creating charts can take hours of work. With over 67,000 subscribers, Politano has managed to turn a short-term project into a full-time job, which naturally comes with its own pros and cons.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Lance Gharavi, an experimental artist and scholar, professor in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, and Associate Director of ASU's Interplanetary Initiative. The discussion tackles the complexity of defining creativity in the age of AI, the metaphors we use to make sense of intelligent machines, and how artists and storytellers can respond to this technological shift.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Ed Finn, founding director of the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. The discussion explores imagination in the context of technology, the potential for AI-generated marketing to connect with audiences, and the complex issues of copyright and ownership.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Chris Peña, a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University with 10 years of experience in social media. Focusing on the rise of meme marketing, the discussion explores how internet culture and social media platforms have evolved, what makes certain brand campaigns go viral while others fall flat, and whether meme marketing is a sustainable strategy or just a short-term trend.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Dr. Jacob Bethem, a professor at the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. Focusing on the issue of greenwashing, the discussion explores how companies make sustainability claims, the challenges in distinguishing genuine efforts from marketing tactics, and the role of third-party certifications and regulations in promoting transparency.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Crystal Alvarez, an instructor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU. Focusing on the role of authenticity in social media, the discussion explores the distinction between organic and paid content, the psychology of social proof and reciprocity in building brand loyalty, and the impact of social media on consumer decisions.

In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Dean Batson, an instructor at Arizona State University who specializes in analyzing consumerism through the lens of communication. Diving into the intersection of capitalism, branding, and corporate messaging tactics, the discussion examines how powerful forces shape our purchasing decisions and the illusion of choice in the marketplace.

In this special edition of We Mean Business, Ananya Bhargava interviews KFF Health News’ David Hilzenrath. He is a member of the 2024 Barlett and Steele Gold Award-winning team in the Regional/Local Category. Their investigative series, “Overpayment Outrage,” a collaboration of eight local TV news stations and KFF Health News, helped uncover the immense toll Social Security repayment demands have on some of the nation’s most vulnerable families. Hilzenrath discusses the behind-the-scenes of this investigation, including their biggest challenges and how they overcame them to tell this story and create a roadmap for Congress to make needed program reforms.

In this edition of We Mean Business: “How They Did It,” Ananya Bhargava interviews Ames Alexander and David Raynor about their recent award-winning investigative series “Hopes Foreclosed.” This investigation uncovered how often HOAs in North Carolina are foreclosing on homeowners. It revealed not only a troubling trend of HOA foreclosures in the region but how many of those foreclosures were due to debts of less than $2,000.  Their series won the 2024 Bronze prize in the Barlett and Steele Awards Regional/Local category. Visit The Charlotte Observer to read their investigation or businessjournalism.org/awards to view all the 2024 winners.

In this special edition of “How They Did It,” Ananya Bhargava interviews Chicago Tribune reporters Lisa Schencker and Emily Hoerner about their recent award-winning investigative series “Medical Misconduct.” The two reporters demonstrate the great investigative work that can be done when an investigative reporter teams up with a beat reporter to dive deeper into their realm of expertise. Schencker, a reporter covering the business of healthcare, spent many years reporting on allegations of abuse by a single doctor but felt there was still more to the story. With the assistance of Hoerner, a long-time investigative reporter, the two reporters were able to uncover repeated mishandling of sexual abuse allegations within multiple well-known Illinois health systems. In this episode, the reporters discuss how they got started on the investigation, the obstacles they faced, and what surprised them most about the process. Their series won the 2024 Silver prize in the Barlett and Steele Awards Regional/Local category. Visit the Chicago Tribune to read their investigation or businessjournalism.org/awards to view all the 2024 winners.

In this special edition of We Mean Business, Ananya Bhargava interviews Jodie Fleischer, the managing editor of investigative content and collaboration for Cox Media Group. She is a member of the 2024 Barlett and Steele Gold Award-winning team in the Regional/Local Category. Their investigative series, “Overpayment Outrage,” is a collaboration of eight local TV news stations across seven states. With the assistance of KFF Health News, the team helped uncover the immense toll Social Security repayment demands have on some of the nation’s most vulnerable families. Fleischer discusses the behind-the-scenes of this investigation, including how it began and what it took to make the collaboration happen.   Visit KFF Health News to read their written investigative work or businessjournalism.org/awards to view all the 2024 winners.

Jeffrey Timmermans, Director of the Reynolds Center, sits down for an interview with award-winning journalist James B. Steele, half of the namesake for the Barlett and Steele Awards. Steele shares how he got started in business journalism, how his long-term partnership with Donald Barlett began, and the value of having a "document state of mind." He also gives young journalists tips on how to find and write award-winning investigative stories.

Online shopping has brought about the slow demise of traditional retail, with many consumers relying solely on sites to shop for everything from groceries to electronics. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Zuzanna Blasco, a lead UX/UI engineer for Newfold Digital and a faculty associate who teaches e-commerce classes at Arizona State University. Blasco analyzes the impact of e-commerce on consumer behavior while also diving into emerging trends in online shopping, including AI integration, influencer marketing, social commerce, augmented and virtual reality experiences, and subscriptions.

As our reliance on technology and data systems grows, so do the avenues through which corporations can harvest our information. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Joseph Ryoo, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Arizona State University and expert in unstructured data analysis. Dr. Ryoo describes the techniques businesses use to collect and utilize data, the differences between what is legal and what is ethical regarding consumer privacy, and how business students can navigate data-driven marketing in the future.

As we witness the rising significance of data and the increasing use of AI to optimize personalized advertising, concerns regarding data acquisition and ethical usage become increasingly pressing. In this episode, Ananya Bhargava interviews Seth Rachlin, a social scientist, business leader, and entrepreneur currently active as a researcher and assistant teaching professor of Social Data Science at Arizona State University. Dr. Rachlin discusses how social media data mining shapes targeted marketing, the moral considerations of gathering personal data, and the broader consequences of AI integration in business.

SAG-AFTRA is still striking against the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers - movie studios, big streaming corporations, etc.) even as the writer's union has reached its own agreement with the studios this week. In this episode, Mackenzie Joy-Brennan talked to SAG member Marie Cecile Anderson -- an actor, comedian, and musician based in Nashville -- about the strike decision, the demands union members are asking for, and what life is like as a working union actor, even while on strike.

As the entertainment industry strikes continue, Mackenzie Joy-Brennan has a chat with Hollywood costume designer Nicole Suerez Jones whose local IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) unions aren't on strike, but are still suffering the effects of the current dual strikes in Hollywood. Nicole talks studio executive greed, working conditions, artificial intelligence, and what it means to be functioning in an industry that appears to be at an impasse.

The Phoenix Valley was packed with visitors for Super Bowl LVII, but does a packed city equal extra economic activity? Janaé Bradford interviews Kelly Phillips Erb, an expert on tax law who has written for and been interviewed by a variety of media outlets. She is currently a tax contributor for Forbes and a Tax Counsel for White & Williams, LLP. Phillips Erb breaks down how local taxpayers contribute to big sporting events but may not be seeing the dividends they were promised. From tax offsets and exemptions, there are a lot of ways that sporting leagues negotiate with local districts before awarding an Olympic, World Cup, or Super Bowl bid. To keep up with Phillips Erb's work, visit taxgirl.com and read her recent work for Forbes titled 'The Super Bowl doesn't always produce super-sized revenues for local taxpayers.'

When is it okay to start talking about the financial cost of a game not played? Steven Watkins, a reporter for the Cincinnati Business Courier, was reporting on the Bengals/Bills game live when Damar Hamlin was struck in the chest and halted the NFL. Watkins shares with Janaé Bradford how he reacted as a journalist who covers the business of sports at a local business journal. Watkins has decades of experience covering the business side of sports and shares tips with aspiring sports journalists on how they can fill a much-needed role in the industry by not shying away from the financials. View the transcript here.

Ever wonder what it is like covering the biggest college football game of the season? Janaé Bradford invited Amanda Christovich from FrontOffice Sports to speak with her about her experience covering the business of the big game. Covering college football isn’t just about covering the X’s and O’s. College football has become an enterprise in itself that reporters should not shy away from covering. Christovich tells us how she started covering the business of sports and how businesses have noticed the significant demand for college football. She notes that reporting on the college championship continues long after the game has been called. Christovich covers everything from gender equity and sports labor issues to name, image, and likeness -- and was recently named one of LinkedIn's top five creators of the week for my NIL stories. Check out more by Christovich on Twitter, FrontOffice Sports, or her website.

Janaé Bradford interviews Bloomberg reporters Caleb Melby and Polly Mosendz, two members of the bronze award-winning team for their investigation 'Questionable Practices.' Their investigation brings the first important revelations about the largest medical mental-health startup, Cerebral, and its effort to bring telemedicine techniques to mental healthcare. Bloomberg reporters found a lack of delicate consideration assessment from the million-dollar business when prescribing medication to their patients. Listen to what the reporters had to say about what it took to make this investigation happen.

For her last episode, Ruby interviews Jeff Timmermans, Director of the Reynolds Center. Ruby asks poignant questions about what is needed from students looking to get into business journalism and why students should consider the field. Jeff shares with us the importance of business journalism and how you don't need a finance background to report on and cover the business beat.

Ruby interviews Kristen Gilger, co-author of 'There's no crying in newsrooms,' on what it was like as a woman in broadcast journalism in the 1980s compared to today. Kristen shares insights on how her expectations and hope of greater equity have unfortunately not matched up with reality and reminds women in the business to remember that they are never alone.

Numbers are the language of the world. Ruby interviews Steve Doig, experienced data journalist and current ASU professor, on how working with data can be a business journalist's superpower. Steve discusses how understanding data tools for smaller stories can prepare you for bigger stories that happen near you or in your beat.

Ruby Arora interviews Todd Merkow, first general manager of FOX Sports Arizona and current strategic and operational consultant who also teaches sports journalism majors at the Cronkite School of Journalism. Ruby and Todd discuss Amazon emerging into NFL streaming and what journalists should be aware of and what to look out for in the future of sports streaming.

Ruby Arora interviews Susan Lisovicz, long-time CNN and CNBC on-air reporter, on how journalists can prepare to be on camera and why business journalism is such an important field for all journalists to understand.    Stay tuned for the rest of this 5-part series this summer.

In this episode, host Jenna Miller speaks with Los Angeles Times reporter Harriet Ryan and editor Matt Lait, to discuss their award-winning investigation, “Oxycontin's 12-hour Problem.” The two reveal how doctors were not only were many doctors being investigated for overprescribing a drug, they were often linked to bad pharmacies that lacked state oversight. The pair share some tips for young journalists and what decisions they made that helped humanize the business story. Their project took home the Bronze Award at the 2016 Barlett and Steele Awards for Investigative Journalism.

Christopher Weaver of the Wall Street Journal spoke with Jenna Miller of the Reynolds Center to discuss his work with the award-winning investigation, “Testing Theranos.” This project took home the Silver Award at the 2016 Barlett and Steele Awards for Investigative Journalism. Weaver explains how the 10-month investigation began and the challenges they faced questioning a company that had become a media-darling. He also explains some of the impact the investigation had not only for the company, but for many of the company’s investors, employees, and clients.

Bastian Obermayer of the Munich based paper Süddeutsche Zeitung and Gerard Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, spoke with Jenna Miller to discuss their work on the award-winning “Panama Papers.” Their organizations, along with more than 100 other media partners, took home the Gold Award at the 2016 Barlett and Steele Awards for Investigative Journalism. They discuss how the investigation began and what it took for so many journalists across the globe to collaborate on such a large investigation.

In this episode, hosted by Jenna Miller, Business journalism professors Karen Blumenthal, Andrew Cassel and Keith Herndon share their tips for engaging students in class. These instructors explain the creative way they encourage students to interact with businesses they don’t already have a connection to and the importance of reading other business stories, especially in their own communities. They originally shared these tips during Reynolds Week 2016.

The How to Cover Money podcast is back with Jenna Miller as this episode’s host. W.P. Carey School of Business professor Philip Drake and Bloomberg's Tom Contiliano introduce business reporters to the art of reading financial statements. They share some of their tips for using those statements to investigate a company’s performance, past transactions, and cash flow to understand how well a company is really doing.

In this episode, hosted by Megan Calcote, Brandon Quester and Evan Wyloge of the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting share their tips for finding and using census data. Wyloge and Quester share their experiences searching through large datasets and what they have found to be more useful to drill down the numbers to your local area. They also share the websites and reports they find to be the most useful for story inspiration. They originally shared these tips during Reynolds Week 2016. To read the AZCIR's four-part investigation on hazardous chemicals, click below: Poor oversight cited in Texas ammonium nitrate blast mirrored in Arizona U.S. oversight of ammonium nitrate insufficient, GAO says 2.8 million Arizonans live within vulnerable zones from toxic chemical leaks Federal report recommends overhaul of U.S. chemical safety oversight

In this episode, hosted by Megan Calcote, Katherine Fitzgerald and Eddie Keller interview Robin McDowell and Martha Mendoza of the Associated Press about their 2015 Barlett and Steele Gold award-winning investigation “Fish Slavery.” McDowell and Mendoza explain what sparked this investigation, some of the decisions they had to make to protect their sources before publication, and what it took to conduct award-winning work.

In this episode, host Megan Calcote highlights some of the best tips from the Reynolds Center presentation at SABEW 2015 with University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes. Grimes highlights the importance of regional data in national data series and where some of the best data sets are located. He explains how some of the surveys work and recommends when is the best time to look at those data sets. The conversation includes the importance of understanding sample sizes and how to dig deeper into outliers and large changes that appear over time. To access some of the reports and surveys Grimes recommends during the podcast, click below: Bureau of Economic Analysis Current Employment Statistics Survey (CES) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

In this episode, Katherine Fitzgerlad and Eddie Keller interview Christopher Serres and Glenn Howatt of the Minneapolis Star Tribune about their award-winning investigation “Unchecked Care.” Their investigation exposed issues in the home care industry, including inadequate care, inadequate training for aides, and aggressive sales tactics by for-profit franchises. Serres and Keller give advice to new reporters on working with data and where to get started. “Unchecked Care” won the Silver Award in the 2015 Barlett and Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism. Megan Calcote is the host of the How to Cover Money series. Check out the full four-part series: Sick, frail and abandoned by home care firms Care aides get little to no training for life-and-death tasks The marketing of home care shifts into high gear Minnesota falters in fight against home care fraud

In this podcast hosted by Megan Calcote, Glenn Hall, Executive Editor at the Washington Post, shares more tips for creating winning business investigations. He urges writers to break up long-form articles into short, easily digested pieces; beware the extreme anecdote; and employ videos, graphics and slideshows. Hall's tips were originally shared during Reynolds Week 2016.

In this episode, host Megan Calcote shares a conversation Katherine Fitzgerald and Eddie Keller had with Pat Beall of The Palm Beach Post. Her award-winning investigation, Dying for Care, won the 2015 Bronze Award in the Barlett and Steele Awards for the best in investigative business journalism. Beall shares some of her advice for young journalists, what sparked this investigation, and why she enjoys her work.