Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
(She/Her)
As seen in:
MSN,
Color Research & Application,
Wiley Online Library,
Biomed Central (BMC),
Cell Press,
Houston Chronicle,
Los Angeles Review of Books,
American Society for Microbiology (ASM),
European Urology,
Shelterforce
and
Covers:
Food, cocktails, foodie travel
Doesn't Cover:
Politics, religion
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing content pieces for MSN
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I learned to type on a manual typewriter as a required high school class. Everything I know about technology I learned the old fashioned way.
How is social media changing news?
I believe social media is getting news out to people faster than ever, but it is giving a voice to opinions rather than facts.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't a have a favorite.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist means bringing news and entertainment to people without skewing facts or offering an opinion.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I don't know that I pay attention to news that has hashtags in it.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I would prefer to be pitched for stories through email. I check email several times a day and I will respond to all pitches.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use newswires, government databases, and networking to gather the information I need.
What's your favorite social network?
I'm not a huge fan of social networks, but I spend more time on Facebook than the others.
Who do you wish followed you?
There is no one I wished followed me, I would prefer to have genuine followers that like what I offer.
Why did you become a journalist?
To write about the things I am interested in while offering some value to the general public.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I didn't work for the high school newspaper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
It's not a story, it was an academic paper on the factors that create disparities in health and disease.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there, you can't hit a home run if you never swing at the ball.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I prefer pitches by email, I read them all, so there is not time that is better than any other. Send it when inspiration strikes!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I can't say there are that I could identify as the best.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
There have been a few, but I can't say that any have been worse than others.
What's your favorite drink?
If I don't have coffee at my desk, you'll find a diet Mountain Dew.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Grocery shopping for a photography session, in the photo studio, visiting family, or volunteering for the Oklahoma Medical Reserve.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Chicago Tribune
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That is easy to write in this field.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.