What was your first job as a journalist?
Opinion Columnist at The California Aggie
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
Exacerbate
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Elena Fisher-Drake
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means you’re committed to truth
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
In a small group of people at a desk meeting
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My laptop and my notebook
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Malcolm Gladwell
Why did you become a journalist?
I first became a journalist out of the desire to help people understand and pay more attention to the nuance of everyday life and entertainment.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My feature on the end of the final season of Game of Thrones is a piece I will always look back on fondly. It’s when I knew this thing was it
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Always go deeper and ask why
When's the best time to pitch you?
Afternoon
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Save your diet, save the world
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone once pitched to me the idea of a piece all about a local hot dog shop owner choking on his own product…
What's your favorite drink?
Water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outside
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That an extensively researched and thoughtful opinion piece can’t be as important as the biggest news piece
