Cary O’Reilly of the International Journalists’ Network about how to cover international tariff stories.
O’Reilly writes, “Tariffs, essentially taxes on imported goods, have been at the core of cross-border trade since the days of ancient Athens and Mesopotamia. They can protect domestic industries, generate revenue, or act as political tools. For journalists, tariffs often provide a clear, tangible hook to explain the much broader and more complex web of international commerce or the realities of geopolitical machinations.
“Since 2018, tariff policy has returned to the center stage of global affairs, catalyzed by U.S. efforts to rebalance trade relationships under Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden. As governments rethink the rules of globalization, reporters who previously had not been trade experts are being asked to cover this highly specialized area of business journalism. Those covering trade must understand not only how tariffs work, but also how they ripple across economies and affect everything from supply chains to consumer prices to jobs and wages.
“‘Covering trade isn’t just about understanding the world economy; it’s about decoding the interconnected human stories at the heart of today’s world,’ said Wang Feng, editor-in-chief at FTChinese.com in Hong Kong and a visiting professor of business journalism at Tsinghua University in Beijing. ‘This year has underscored the profound relevance of global trade and supply chains like never before.’”
Read more here.
