Have you ever used a typewriter?
No.
How is social media changing news?
Social media has subsumed the traditional architecture of journalism & the structure of traditional media. Without it, there is no news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Mikael Blomkvist, of Stieg Larsson's novels. Other good "fictional" journalists include Vladimir Pozner & Piers Morgan (!)
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Honest, hard-skinned, broke & happy.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Without doubt (which began as a hateful alt-right howl) but became a social media victory after K-Pop fans stole it!
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Put it down in a tight email of one para, stick "pitch" (in subject) and accompany with hyperlinks to robust citations/sources & facts).
What's your favorite social network?
I am interested in Zhe Zhe (Russia's "Wordpress"), new to Twitter & closed VKontakte. Observer, vs. user for most ;)
Who do you wish followed you?
Toomas Ilves (Estonian President until 2016 & visionary for e-residency program). Satoshi Nakamoto. New Zealand's star PM, Jacinda Ardern.
Why did you become a journalist?
Anyone born before 1992 to parents who fled the USSR understands that a free media creates a freer society. We need to protect it.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
A specialist, niche, or out-of-the-box interest you have can inform thousands, make compelling journalist & challenge the zeitgeist.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Early AM (CET)
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Too many. Always get great ideas from Romanian FinTech Forum, Bulgarian Women in Tech Event & many ideas via Emerging Europe's wire team.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
An iGaming tech conference hosted in Malta. On enquiry, it sounded like a beginners guide to data theft, software cracks & money laundering.
What's your favorite drink?
Espresso
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
With my husband, our children, and their spaniel, Salisbury.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Wired. Undoubtedly.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the cyber-crime, breaches/ransomware attacks etc only occur on nation-state level, for reasons of revenge, geopolitics or money.
