What was your first job as a journalist?
Sub-editor
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
GIGO. Garbage in. Garbage out
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Henry Hackett
What does it mean to be a journalist?
The high of discovery and learning every day. It's humbling actually to know everyday how little you know.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email or text messages
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Evernote, SimplMind, notebook and pen
What's your favorite social network?
Reddit
Who do you wish followed you?
Jack Dorsey
Why did you become a journalist?
It was an accident. I was prepping for med school and had time in the evenings. Took a course in journalism and fell in love with it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nyet ! Wasn't interested in journalism then
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Re-constructing events after an episode when I lost my memory after an epileptic episode and do a story on that. Almost like the movie Memento
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Deploy first principles-based questions. Most people aren't as smart as they sound. Build your personal brand. Learn to code.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Friday evenings
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Would you like to witness first hand a turnaround story in a part of the country lawmakers are afraid to travel to?
What's your favorite drink?
Masala Chai (tea with spices)
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Alone in a corner of a coffee shop people watching and striking conversations with staff, or walking alone while people-watching
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Washington Post, WSJ and Economist, The Caravan
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Only Big Tech and funded start-ups from stand a better chance at being covered.
