Al Lewis is an American journalist who has served as a columnist for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

Sunday,''

MarketWatch ''MarketWatch'' is a website that provides financial information, business news, analysis, and stock market data. It is a subsidiary of Dow Jones & Company, a property of News Corp, along with ''The Wall Street Journal'' and '' Barron's.'' ...

and

The Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in the Denver metropolitan area. it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 13 mil ...

. On April 1, 2016, he became business editor of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

''. On March 15, 2024, he launche
Business Blunders
a Substack newsletter chronicling the biggest missteps in business.

Career

Lewis grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science from MacMurray College in

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city and the county seat of Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,616 at the 2020 census, down from 19,446 in 2010. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the Illinois Sc ...

, and a master's degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield. He has worked as either a financial writer or editor since 1985, including stints at the '' Amarillo Globe-News'','' The Gazette (Colorado Springs)'', and the defunct ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

''. From 2001 to 2008, he was business columnist at ''

''. From 2008 until 2013, he authored "Al's Emporium", a column for Dow Jones Newswires, a service of Dow Jones & Co. A column he wrote through 2013 for ''The Wall Street Journal Sunday'' appeared in about 70 newspapers nationwide; the edition was discontinued in 2015. From 2014 to 2016, Lewis was editor in chief of '' South Florida Business Journal''. Through 2015, Lewis also wrote a blog called Tell It To Al, and over several years, he frequently appeared on Fox Business Network and Denver's NBC affiliate,

KUSA (TV) KUSA (channel 9) is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD (channel 20). The two stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver' ...

. Lewis often writes about big business, especially through interviews. His work is said to chronicle the human drama of business. To critics who call him "much more of a socialist than a free marketeer," Lewis responded thus in his final ''Wall Street Journal Sunday'' column: "I admire entrepreneurs and seek free enterprise for all. Unfortunately, some things stand in the way, including tyrants, idiots, and ideologies. And when you're a columnist, it's your job to point this out." The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

, the Colorado Press Association, and the Daniels College of Business at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

have honored Lewis for his writing and reporting. He also received column-writing awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers each year between 2006 and 2011. "Lewis shows that business writing can be fun and interesting as well as informative," a panel of SABEW judges wrote. Lewis won the William R. Clabby Dow Jones Newswires Award for his work in 2008 and 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Al People from Northbrook, Illinois MacMurray College alumni University of Illinois at Springfield alumni American columnists The Denver Post people Living people Year of birth missing (living people) The Wall Street Journal people Glenbrook North High School alumni Rocky Mountain News people Houston Chronicle people