Delpressaan independent magazine about the history and workings of the business press

An independent magazine about the history and workings of the business press. It is not the former website on this domain, nor the editorial office of the journal Lizing Revyu (Leasing Review) or any other publication; their materials are not reproduced here. Not investment advice.

Events

Events

A large share of business news is tied to events known in advance: companies publish their results, regulators make decisions, industries gather at trade fairs and conferences. Together these events form the business calendar by which a newsroom lives. This section explains which events most often prompt coverage, how the calendar works and how to check a news story about an event. We do not publish dated announcements or assessments.

A good business news story answers not only “what happened?” but also “how do we know?”

— From the editors

How this section works: we describe types of events and how they are covered in general terms. We do not publish schedules, forecasts of consequences or assessments of decisions; check dates and documents on the official websites of organisers, companies and government bodies.

Which events the business press covers

Four kinds of events that most often prompt business coverage.

Company results

Companies regularly disclose their results for a period. The business press reports the headline figures and compares them with previous periods, so it is important to see exactly which periods are being compared.

Regulatory decisions

Bodies that set the rules for industries and markets take decisions that affect business. The reliable source is the published document itself, not a summary of it.

Trade fairs

Trade fairs bring together companies from a single industry. For the press they are a chance to report on new products, but many reports from fairs come from the exhibitors themselves and are promotional in nature.

Conferences

Talks and panel discussions by specialists. Statements made at conferences are the speakers' opinions, and that is how they should be read in the news.

How the business calendar works

Many events in business life recur at regular intervals: reporting periods, scheduled meetings, annual trade fairs and conferences. Newsrooms know about them in advance and prepare: they gather earlier data for comparison, line up comments and plan who will write the story.

Thanks to this calendar, business news often comes out very soon after an event. But speed has a price: the first story usually contains only the main figures and wording, while details and interpretation appear later in analytical pieces.

The lesson for readers is simple: the first news story about an event is a starting point. If the details matter to you, wait for the full text of the document or an analytical review and check them against the primary source.

How to check a news story about an event

  • Find the primary source: the company's announcement, the government body's published document or the organiser's website
  • Compare the date of the event with the date of publication: old reports are sometimes circulated as new
  • Find out which period the figures cover and what they are compared with
  • Distinguish the company's own words from the assessments of journalists and outside experts
  • Check reports from trade fairs and conferences for an “advertisement” or “sponsored content” label
  • If the primary source does not confirm it, treat the information as unconfirmed
  • Analysis

    How to break down a business article step by step and tell news from analysis and advertising.

  • History

    A timeline of the business press from the founding of The Economist in 1843 to the Russian daily Vedomosti in 1999.

  • People and authors

    Roles at a business publication and how to read a byline, the masthead and an “advertisement” label.

Sources

  • Encyclopaedic sources on the history of the press

Historical information is based on open official and encyclopaedic sources. Laws and publication policies may change, so always check the current versions in official sources.