Alex McDaniel
(She/Her)
Chicago
As seen in:
Apple Podcasts,
Medium,
MSN,
Yahoo Entertainment,
For The Win,
TIME,
USA Today,
Yahoo Canada,
Yahoo News UK,
BuzzFeed
and
Covers:
sports, southern culture, politics, general news, digital media, race and gender, pop culture and entertainment
writer, editor, naysayer. the south is home.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first job was at a magazine. I convinced the editor to let me run their social media accounts. The rest is history.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Absolutely.
How is social media changing news?
It's requiring news organizations to know their audiences better to find and disseminate information.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Stephen Colbert, of course.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Analytics, Buffer, Tweetdeck, Slack, Canva, Excel, Prezi, CoSchedule, Wordpress
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter, by far.
Who do you wish followed you?
Spencer Hall
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Opted to be yearbook editor, which actually helped a great deal when I took on a magazine focus in undergrad.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I wrote a column right after my dad passed away about our shared love of football and how sports will always be my connection to him.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Stay committed to good storytelling, no matter the medium, and you'll be fine.
When's the best time to pitch you?
3 p.m. as my day starts to wind down and I have more time to answer pitches.
What's your favorite drink?
Old-fashioned with Bulleit or Maker's.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At home, spending time with my son.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Garden & Gun and Texas Monthly are my must-reads.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Many say sports is the toy department of journalism, but it's a lens to better understand people and culture, especially in the South.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.