James Flanigan

Mr. Flanigan's 43-year career in business and financial journalism has taken him from points far -- the Soviet Union, Nigeria, South Africa and Saudi Arabia -- to points near -- New York, Houston and Los Angeles.

The senior economics editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times began his career abroad in the Paris bureau of The New York Herald Tribune before returning stateside to report for the paper's financial section. He spent 17 years at Forbes except for a one-year stint at the LA Times. While at Forbes, he headed up several bureaus including London, Washington, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, and also served for a time as assistant managing editor.

His current career at the Times stretches back to 1983. In 1996, his "understanding and unique perspective on business and economic issues," in the words of the then Los Angeles Times' managing editor Michael Parks, led to his appointment as senior economics editor, a newly created post.

Mr. Flanigan, a graduate of Manhattan College, has won several awards including the 1988 John Hancock Award for Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism for a series of columns about the stock market crash, the falling dollar and Japan's influence on the world economy.