“Financial journalists publish columns of stock market news, gossip and opinion every day. The business journalists who write these columns hit the phone every afternoon when the markets have closed. Calls go out to brokers, analysts, and others who can be expected to comment knowledgeably on the day’s trading. Each journalist has a list of favorite people who can be buttonholed for this purpose. On what basis does the journalist decide whom to call? What qualifies somebody for a position at the top of one of these lists? Three things: Accessibility, articulateness, and optimism.”