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Brian Penny on Muck Rack

Brian Penny

  • Founder, Thought for Your Penny
  • Ghostwriter, Freelance
Tucson
Covers:  Business, technology, security, ethics, banking, whistleblowing, Android, SEO, cryptocurrency, cannabis, Entertainment, culture, lifestyle
human wisdom…I put the :/ in https://

Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

Paperboy. They let me interview a couple people while I was delivering newspapers in the late 80s and early 90s. I got to see it all...

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Absolutely - I grew up before computers.

How is social media changing news?

People rush to verify and it moves much faster.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Peter Parker

What does it mean to be a journalist?

It means having a voice and exercising your First Amendment rights to educate and inform the public.

What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?

How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?

I prefer emails

What tools and software do you use to do your job?

Twitter, Trello, mobile phones, dual-screen desktop PC, anything I can get my hands on.

What's your favorite social network?

Twitter...

Why did you become a journalist?

I was a bank whistleblower and didn't trust the media, so I became the media myself.

Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?

I was a paperboy at my city's newspaper since I was 8 years old.

What story are you most proud of writing or working on?

High Times and Cracked are highlights of my career. I love working with both publications' editorial teams.

What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?

Never take no for an answer...

When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?

Out of my house or asleep

Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?

Cracked and High Times

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