What was your first job as a journalist?
staff writer, Watertown (NY) Daily Times, a week after high school graduation. Still in the business 50 years later!
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, to fill out a paper form not available online to fill in. I think that's history, but I would like an IBM Selectric!
How is social media changing news?
Positive) Making it easier to find and connect with people (sources, professional connections, family and people we lost track of years ago.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lou Grant, Margaret Pynchon, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White (a real newspaper editor I know!).
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Getting paid to learn about local, county, regional, state, national, international issues, people. Permission to ask strangers questions.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
No answer! System doesn't accept "no answer"!
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
E-mail, tweet, phone, but no disguised caller ID, no personal grievance stories (most are not widely significant and not from whistleblowers.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Computers, cellphone, iPad, cameras, Microsoft Office, e-mail, social media (used positively).
What's your favorite social network?
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (used right; no meanness, illegal (all) death threats.)
Who do you wish followed you?
People who are valuable (helpful) connections for work, career (job openings), using software. It's not how many followers anyone has.
Why did you become a journalist?
From age 14, or even age 11, I've valued the work of other journalists and saw the work as a public service (information, truth). 50 years!
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Wrote for high school magazine, assistant editor of junior high school magazine.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Scooping competition by knowing the beat, the issues and the players when the competition doesn't. It doesn't have to be a major story.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Learn to write well in high school and college, read articles in local, national publications, online and broadcasts and podcasts. Accuracy!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime by e-mail. Reasonable hours by phone, identify yourself (no scams, spam, disguised caller ID, sales pitches!)
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Editor of Genealogical Helper magazine suggested I write an article on my brother's and my research of family history and our challenges.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A student's failed attempt to write a "sports feature" for a course in feature writing I attempted to teach at Eastern Michigan University.
What's your favorite drink?
strong black coffee, unsweetened ice tea, no-calorie seltzer, red wine, various alcoholic drinks.(infrequently).
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
walking with a camera, driving a 2018 electric-gasoline hybrid, reconnecting by phone.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
informative magazines, books I should read.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
All of us must learn more about media literacy (how to understand the news); newscasters surprised by a plea of "not guilty" at arraignment.
