Inside PBS Blog

Last week, I kicked off PBS Engage's "Five Good Questions" feature by asking you to pose your queries for "Nightly Business Report" anchor Susie Gharib.

You left 40 questions and comments, and I chose the five I thought would elicit the most interesting responses. In each case, I edited for length and clarity.

The questions and Susie's responses appear below. (By the way: Thanks for your thoughtful answers, Susie!)

A reminder: Don't forget to leave questions for next week's guest â€" PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger.

As a journalist, how do you balance being approachable to ensure you get access to interview subjects with the need to ask tough questions?
ww_adh

I try to be respectful and fair when I interview CEOs and newsmakers, but I don't waste time asking fluffy questions.

It's my responsibility to viewers to ask the right questions and often that means tough ones. In fact, I think most people feel energized when I ask challenging questions.

At least that's the feedback I got from President Bush when I interviewed him recently at the White House. After the interview, he put his arm around me and said, "You ask tough questions, but in a nice way."

How much influence does Warren Buffett have on what's reported on "Nightly Business Report" and similar shows?
Jeff Borzilleri

Warren Buffett doesn't influence what's reported on "NBR" at all!

But he's certainly a person everyone wants to know about. People want an inside track into what companies he's buying and what stocks he's investing in.

That's why I go to Omaha every year to interview him and report on what he says at the annual shareholders' meeting of Berkshire Hathaway.

I like interviewing Buffett because he has a clear and simple way of analyzing complicated issues. He has a folksy way of making his points and he has a great sense of humor.

Most of all it's refreshing â€" and reassuring â€" to hear his unique take on these tumultuous times.

Has blogging â€" with its frequently irreverent and casual tone â€" changed business reporting the way it has other kinds of journalism?
Joel T. Rose

I wouldn't say blogs have "changed" business reporting, but I do think they have "affected" it. They have opened up the arena for everyone to express opinions and come up with different ways of looking at things.

Lots of interesting stuff comes from blogs â€" both ours at "NBR" and those of other folks'. Many blog entries on our site are personal reflections of reporters about how they are impacted by the stories they cover.

One of our reporters covering the oil markets and record high gas prices, for example, writes about the frustrations of paying $100 to fill up her SUV. As much as she wants to switch to a fuel efficient car, she can't because she needs a big vehicle to transport her three small boys, their friends and all their gear.

Her reflections on that reality give her blog entries more depth. You don't get information like that anywhere but in blogs.

What's also great about blogs is that many of them have the back stories that don't get on the air â€" information that doesn't fit into a two-minute package.

One of my recent blog entries was about my impressions of President Bush and my interview with him. The blog gave me an opportunity to tell viewers where the interview took place (the Map Room); the president's mood that day (upbeat and confident); and what we chatted about after the interview (he plans to write a book without the help of a ghostwriter).

In the days before blogs, my friends and colleagues wanted to hear this behind-the-scenes information about my important interviews. Now I have a platform where I can share this juicy stuff with lots of people and they can respond to it.

Ultimately, I think the personal stories of blogs make all business news reporting more compelling.

High gas prices: Do they get too much coverage in the press? Not enough?
Glenn Kirbo

It's an important story. Some people have long commutes by car with no viable public transportation alternative. Filling up the tank is becoming a bigger percentage of the family budget.

At "Nightly Business Report," we cover what affects people's pocketbooks, so it's essential for us to report about it.

Gas prices are also a window into a bigger economic story â€" the world's growing need for energy, our reliance on oil as an energy source and the need to develop alternative energy resources. Rising energy costs are also a driver of inflation in economies worldwide, including ours.

You're a journalist, but you're also a citizen. Where do you get your news?
Abe Froman

I read five newspapers every morning: the New York Post (Page Six and the business page are must reads), the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today and Investor's Business Daily.

I flip between the "Today" show, CNN and CNBC before I get to work. And I watch "Meet the Press" on Sundays. (I'm a big Tim Russert fan.) [Editor's note: Russert died on June 13, the day after this blog post was published.]

I read about a half dozen online investment newsletters every day. I like to get their take on the markets, the economy, politics and the buzz on the Street. I also monitor the news flow of online sites like Dow Jones, Street dot com, Bloomberg and MarketWatch.

I regularly read Business Week and Fortune and I read Barron's cover to cover. I pick up the Economist and Foreign Affairs when there's an interesting cover story.