Iuliana Roibu

• Position: Deputy Editor-in-Chief BUSINESS Magazin, Bucharest, Romania
• Dates of Fellowship: Michaelmas 2011
• Sponsor: The Wincott Foundation

Iuliana Roibu is a business journalist, currently working for the Mediafax Group, one of the strongest Romanian media companies. Mrs. Roibu began her career as a journalist immediately after graduating from the University Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Iasi, Romania, with a BA in Journalism and Communication Sciences. Her thesis was on “The role of the press in economic crises”, researching how the newspapers can amplify the negative crisis effect on businesses and common people’s attitude. 

She joined Ringier in 2001 as a business journalist for Evenimentul Zilei. At that time the media in Romania was finding its way to quality products. Evenimentul Zilei became the strongest newspaper in Romania, having also the biggest circulation. 

As a generalist newspaper was not that keen on business analyses, Mrs. Roibu joined BUSINESS Magazin in 2005 as a journalist, becoming an Editor two years later. On 2009, Mrs. Roibu became a correspondent on PRO TV, with daily live broadcasts on financial and business news, before being promoted to Deputy Editor-in-Chief for BUSINESS Magazin. 

Before having a management position, Iuliana covered extensively beats like energy sector and entrepreneurial businesses. She interviewed prominent business people and CEO’s, and has written more than 60 cover stories for the magazine since 2005. 

She won the Romanian Press Club Best Business Journalist of the Year 2007 and 2010.  The awards’ jury appreciated articles Iuliana wrote as analysing changes Romania has been through: “Overpriced Romania” (December 2006), “When Shall We Live Like Europeans?” (March 2007), “The Tip and The Invisible Billion” (August 2007), “The Wind Mirage” (September 2009), “10 reasons for more expensive gasoline in 2011” (August 2010). 

Research Project

 The Ordinary Reader in the History of Business Newspapers: A misunderstanding

Business and financial news are generally aimed at a limited and exclusive audience. How and why could business news talk to the common people? Would that make their life better?