Bruce Watson
Massachusetts
As seen in:
Medium,
The Washington Post,
Aol,
Smithsonian Magazine,
Nautilus,
American Heritage,
New England Public Media,
Minority Reporter
Covers:
American history, literature, art, lore, travel.
Doesn't Cover:
Fashion, beauty, politics, celebrity
Weekly online magazine profiling American Dreamers, Wonders, Rebels, Wit. . . For a kinder, cooler America. Come in and rummage.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
GROUCHO: Well stop follwing me or I'll have you arrested.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, for years. I do not miss them but I have an old one in my attic where I often write.
How is social media changing news?
For the worse. News is news -- things happening. What people are saying or Tweeting about the news, even if it's the president, isn't news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Homer
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means you ask people to tell their stories, which puts a tremendous responsibility on you to pass them along with empathy and accuracy.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
#??
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By e-mail
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Computer, ipad, Word or Pages
What's your favorite social network?
Face-to-face, the oldest social network of all.
Who do you wish followed you?
GROUCHO: That man is none other than Herman Gottlieb, director of the New York Opera Company
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I love telling stories and I love spreading the word about people and things that deserve it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, everything from sports editor to editor in chief
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Bread and Roses, my book on the amazing 1912 textile strike that was the most American story I'd ever encountered.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Study something other than journalism. Study history, econ, art, whatever you want to write about. Editors prefer specific knowledge.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Weekday afternoons.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Would you like to go to Italy to cover the 1,000 mile car rally, the Mille Miglia?
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
MRS. TEASDALE: Yes.
What's your favorite drink?
Red wine
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That anything not current, new, trendy must not be interesting. That if you "haven't heard about it," it must not be worth your time.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.