As the third installment of the Argus Speaker Series, Eric Gershon ’98 talked about his experience in business reporting and the journalism field in “8 Weeks, 12 Dwarves, 3 Camels and All 72 Rockettes: You Call This Work?”

“Reporting is about seeing things and asking questions that might get you kicked out of cocktail parties,” Gershon said. He pointed out that although certain newspaper sections are suffering, business news is thriving and relevant.

What may look like a jumble of numbers to most readers actually affects everyone from homebuyers to students taking a post-grad roadtrip, he explained. With rising oil prices, driving from Connecticut to San Francisco would cost $416.

“The same trip cost me $126 in 1998, when I graduated from Wes,” Gershon said.

He questioned why student newspapers typically lack business sections, pointing out intriguing articles that could appeal to the college audience.

He then shifted gears to discuss the impact of technology upon the press.

“The Internet has turned the news media upside down,” he said. “I’m not sure what the incentive of buying a paper is if everything is online before the paper hits the door.”

However, Gershon doesn’t foresee a future without the print press because newspapers still generate the journalism found on the web. He thinks that the Internet has somewhat compromised the quality of reporting.

“People are not careful about what goes on the web when speed is premium,” he said.

He told the audience they should read one business story each day.