It’s easy to think of the business world as black and white, or black and red, as the case may be.
But reporter Michael Diamond tells us there’s more to it than that.
It’s essentially about people. People who energize the economy with their drive and ingenuity. People struggling to pay their bills. the needs and wants of society and the ways in which people build livelihoods and legacies around them. Families who have dedicated their lives to keeping stores and restaurants open for generations. Medical advances and equipment that literally save people’s lives and health.
He has been telling these stories on the Shore for more than 20 years, and his understanding and insight into the dynamics that drive this region are key to understanding our neighbors and communities.
Please tell us about your background. Where are you from? How and why did you start reporting? How did you end up at Asbury Park Press?
I grew up in Denver, Colorado and read the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News every morning, mostly sports and comics. After being cut from his high school’s freshman baseball team, he needed to find a new activity and began writing for the school newspaper. I ended up attending Dickinson College, a liberal arts school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where I became editor of the school newspaper. I fell in love with journalism. I’m interested in people’s stories and why the world works the way it does. I enjoy the challenge of staring at a blank screen and writing a story by a deadline. And since I’m very shy, it gave me an excuse to talk to strangers. After graduating, I worked at a small newspaper outside of Pittsburgh, and then for five years at a newspaper in Southern California. When I found an opening for a business reporter in Asbury Park in 1999, I applied and was hired. Is there a particularly memorable episode in your career? What was it and why?
Hey, I’ve been here 25 years and written thousands of stories. I’ve covered the tech bubble of the ’90s, the Great Recession, Superstorm Sandy, and pandemics. A couple stands out.
A year after the September 11 attacks, I visited Middletown, which lost dozens of residents in the terrorist attacks, to see how the community was rebuilding. That day I met Tom Redmond outside the church. he said: “I’m so glad to be alive. Just being here feeling the sunshine, being grounded, and feeling my granddaughter’s hands.”
Twenty years later, I visited hospitals and interviewed workers on the front lines of the worst pandemic the world has seen in 100 years. They didn’t have enough equipment. They didn’t know how to treat the disease. They themselves became ill. Those were scary times.
What is something about yourself that would surprise people?
I don’t know anything about business. At least I hope it surprises people. If you don’t, you’ll be in trouble. I majored in American Studies in college, but I had never taken an economics course in my life. At my first newspaper outside of Pittsburgh, we had a lot of people trying out work. We gathered in the lobby of the Days Inn to pick up our assignments. In my case it was business. I thought, “Oh, this is not good.” As the editor left the room, someone asked him how he came up with the assignment. “We drew names out of a hat,” he said. What attracts you to covering business?
Business articles are no different from sports, news, or feature articles. Essentially, they are about people. And they can be very dramatic. Small business owners risk everything to make their ideas a reality. Ordinary workers pursuing their passions while earning a living. Knowing and telling their stories energizes me.
