Andrew Hebden is Assistant Editor (Business) of The Journal »
Matt James runs fingerprint-recognition technology firm UKB Security »
James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Phil Renton is managing director of North East IT empire Croft »
Matthew Rippon is an IP lawyer for BHP Law »
Formerly editor of a national business lifestyle magazine, Jez Davison is a business writer for the Evening Gazette in Teesside »
Ian Brown, Northumberland farmer and businessman writes about the agricultural industry »
Accessibilty Champion Steve Wilkinson on the importance of inclusion »
Shared Interest Staff at Newcastle's fair trade firm blog on their latest international missions »
PR man David Honeywell on raising your profile in the right places »
Marion Bernard is from NorthStar Equity Investors »
Caroline Theobald is the Managing Director of Bridge Club Ltd »
John Barton of Renew, on the region's low carbon and sustainable energy agenda »
Paul Williamson is Senior Partner at Deloitte »
Stephen Hall is Tax Partner at Deloitte »IS the media really responsible for talking the economy into recession?
Would any of this have happened without Robert Peston?
Business journalists are often condemned for stoking up the fires that are leading the country into possibly the worst downturn in post-war history.
But the publishing industry is not blowing the truth out of proportion merely to sell more newspapers or boost website hits. Most responsible hacks are simply reporting what they see and hear. If the media industry stands condemned of anything, it is that it is reporting the facts more rapidly and to a wider audience than ever before, which may well have contributed to unprecedented movements on the international markets.
On an almost daily basis, local small businesses tell me how they are under pressure from banks and are battered by the lack of available credit.
Even those who were optimistic six months ago are admitting that belt-tightening is the watchword for the foreseeable future.
Official data also speaks volumes.
The UK economy contracted by 0.5% in the last quarter and another fall in the next three months will confirm recession as fact (against the definition of two successive quarters of negative growth).
The number of distressed British businesses has more than doubled since the start of the year - the surest sign yet that the global financial crisis is infecting the real economy.
Manufacturers' organisation EEF said more companies were deferring pay settlements to control costs, while the number of people out of work soared by 164,000 to 1.79m in the three months to August - the biggest rise for 17 years.
None of this is anecdotal. Amid these gathering storms, it would take a brave (or irresponsible) journalist to ignore the blindingly obvious.
The Tees Valley is not bubble- wrapped against these problems, despite its strength in oil and gas, offshore and petrochemicals. Generally, local businesses are having to batten down the hatches to protect their assets.
But nebusiness tries to sniff out the success stories - among them, Country Valley Foods' launch of 18 fresh meat products into retail giant Asda, and entrepreneurial duo David Geary and Samantha Condren's management buy-in to steel firm SBV Fabrication.
It will continue to report on them in future, but while the climate remains difficult, we will continue to tell it how it is.
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