Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering local news for the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To care about people and be curious about the world. To try to shine a little light before you go.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Only pitch me a story if you really can envision it on 60 Minutes. The bar is high and we don't do a lot of stories each year.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, Excel, Otter AI, Sony Ci
Why did you become a journalist?
To tell stories that would change the world. (Still working on that.)
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I wrote stories and tried to create a news magazine.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Our investigation of money stolen from the Iraqi government's treasury after the Gulf War, among others.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Think about what's not being covered -- and write about it.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Someone offered me documents showing that members of an NFL team that competed in the Super Bowl received testosterone and growth hormone.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I get really bad ones every day.
What's your favorite drink?
Unsweetened Ice Tea
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At the coffee machine, of course.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NYT, NYer, and The New Journal at Yale
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.