1978 – New York Times begins standalone business section.
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, some major changes in the field were being made that pushed business journalism forward even more. In 1978 under the direction of business editor John Lee, The New York Times started a stand-alone section called Business Day and beefed up its Sunday business section. The move by one of the nation’s most well-respected newspapers started a business journalism arms race in which virtually every major newspaper would add a business section.
The Wall Street Journal noted the trend and devoted a front-page story to how the media were devoting more space and staff to covering business. Among the papers following the lead of the Times were The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Atlanta Constitution. The Tribune expanded its staff from eight to 22, while the Fort Worth Star-Telegram doubled its business reporting staff to 12.