Very interesting comments today from CBS News business correspondent Anthony Mason. Mason talks to Brian Montopoli about the limiting prism through which many journalists view big business in America:

AM: I think – there’s business in everything we do. In every single thing we do. There’s business in baseball, there’s business in music, there’s business in – you name it, there’s money behind it. And there are characters who deal with that money. And I think you can look at all of those stories from a business standpoint. And I think too often the business beat is “what are gas prices today?” and “who did those evil corporations fire?” or “what bad CEO is making too much money?” and business is almost viewed as the big bad boogeyman that’s not doing enough. And in some cases, it is. But the fact of the matter is, business is kind the fundamental underlying structure of society that makes it go, and you need to kind of look at it that way. BM: So would it be fair to say that mainstream news organizations have an institutional bias against business because it’s this big entity and you feel like you have to frame your coverage within huge – of course, a huge CEO pay package is a story, and something people can get upset about – but, by virtue of the topic, it’s not like you’re covering something more innocuous. AM: An institutional bias may be a little strong, but there is certainly a lack of understanding is a better way of putting it. I think at a time there might have been an institutional bias. I think a lot of people who come into journalism didn’t know much about business, and weren’t that interested. And I was certainly one of those people. And I kind of woke up when I hit 40 and realized I had to put my kids through college and all that stuff and I got married and my father in law ran a small business, and I started hearing what it’s like to keep a business running. And how hard it is, all the people you have to employ and look after, and I started seeing it from a whole other side that I never looked at. And I think that’s part of the problem – most of us are on the employee side of things, and not on the employer side. And there’s another side to it.

That’s a good analysis: It doesn’t assume malign intentions but identifies a limitation most journalists have when it comes to reporting on business. (h/t Ken Shepard)