Annette Johnson
Verified
As seen in:
Hers Magazine,
The Beacon News,
WATN-TV (Memphis, TN),
Monroe News,
Odessa American,
Greene County Messenger,
Herald Standard,
The Indianapolis Recorder
Covers:
Pop culture, including women's issues
Doesn't Cover:
science, technology, religion
Writer, Speaker and Change Agent
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Production Assistant at PBS in Tallahassee, FL
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
Making it always seem more like entertainment with readers providing immediate comments and sometimes shaping journalists' coverage
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Barbara Walters
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A cultivator of culture whose interest is not in shaping society but rather, examining it closely to allow people to be more informed
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
floridaman
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Definitely email, no calls
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel. PowerPoint), Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, Apple iMovie, HootSuite, Dropbox, Zoom
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter for news and commentary but also Instagram for influencer posts
Who do you wish followed you?
Oprah
Why did you become a journalist?
To use my rhetorical gift for exposing inequities, educating the unenlightened, and bringing enjoyment
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Hard to pick just one
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Understand the difference between a story that's truly newsworthy versus clickbait
When's the best time to pitch you?
midday or late afternoon
What's the best pitch you ever got?
One that included literally everything I needed (bio, images, quotes, video links), especially a potential newsworthy angle
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
PR rep contacted me incessantly about how her client worked with a popular politician, but it was a lie that I only had to Google to confirm
What's your favorite drink?
Arnold Palmer
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Sitting with a book or reading "something"
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That ALL women who write about women's issues are feminists who hate men
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.