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A study of economics is essential training for aspiring journalists. It encourages them to search out and identify major issues facing society and then communicate them clearly to their readers, who include households, firms and governments. This paper illustrates methods for teaching economics to journalists, based on the experiences of teaching 'Economic issues in the media' to students studying a Bachelor of Communication Studies at Auckland University of Technology. Which methods best enable teaching the fundamentals of economics to journalism students? A case is made for the use of an applied economics approach, which reduces some of the barriers created by a more traditional delivery of economic theory. The key methods used for teaching journalism students how to identify economic issues are summarised and emphasised. In particular, the paper discusses the strategies employed, which include the use of case studies, a weekly journal, relevant media reports and analysis through application of economic theory to these media items. Such strategies were found to be beneficial in raising the awareness of journalists-in-training and highlighting relevant economic issues and the need to report them accurately.