A key lesson for business reporters is to follow the money to get the story. Nowhere is this truer than with federal, state, and local governments, which spend hundreds of billions of dollars annually on goods and services. They are the primary buyers of technology of all shapes and sizes, ranging from IT services to cloud-based software, electronic warfare and blockchain data storage. Companies large and small compete for this work, and business reporters who know how to follow the money will find the government contract beat chock full of stories waiting to be told.
This month’s training session features a panel of experts who will discuss where reporters can find information on companies that pursue federal, state, and local government contracts, and how they can turn that data into stories that are relevant for readers and listeners.
Monday, August 13
2 – 3 p.m. EDT
Register for the training.
Instructions:Â Dial (512) 879-2134. When prompted enter access code 846394#.
Questions: Callers may submit questions to the panelists at sabew@sabew.org.
Moderator:
Nick Wakeman has been editor-in-chief of Washington Technology, an online publication focused on government contractors, since June 2005 after serving as senior editor for four years. He joined the publication as a staff writer in 1996. Nick currently writes about systems integrators, procurement trends, and major contracts. His daily blog “Business Beat” offers commentary and news about what’s going on in the government market. He also oversees Washington Technology’s annual Top 100 project, which ranks the largest IT and systems integrators in the federal market.
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Panelists:
Sara Friedman is a reporter and producer at the online publication Government Computer News, where she covers cloud computing, cybersecurity, and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics. Before joining GCN, she was a reporter for Gambling Compliance, where she covered state issues related to casinos, lotteries and fantasy sports. Sara has also written for Communications Daily and Washington Internet Daily on state telecom and cloud computing. She is particularly interested in how emerging technology can help federal, state, and local agencies improve their everyday operations.
Paul Murphy is senior data analyst with Bloomberg Government in Washington, D.C. Before Bloomberg acquired his company in 2010, he spent 25 years as president of Eagle Eye Publishers, where he brought the first-ever desktop-based contracts database to market. He has also spoken and published extensively about federal market trends and small-business issues.
Tom Temin has been the host of Washington, D.C.-based Federal News Radio’s the “Federal Drive” since 2006 and writes a regular column on government IT. He has reported on and provided insight into technology markets for more than 30 years. Prior to joining Federal News Radio, Tom was a long-serving editor-in-chief of Government Computer News and Washington Technology magazines.
Rob Terry is the FedBiz writer for the Washington Business Journal, covering an industry that straddles official Washington — the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon — and the local business community. He focuses on the public and private companies providing services to the federal government, with an emphasis on defense, IT, and other government contractors. Rob’sworked in local business journalism for 20 years in a variety of reporting and editing roles, including a five-year stint as the Washington Business Journal’s managing editor. In 2016 and 2017, he worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as its editor-in-chief.
