Calvin Rock
(He/Him)
Covers:
Climate Justice, Social and environmental justice, Health, Fact-checking, Digital investigations
Writer, Journalist, Social Justice Champ
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Transcriber
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. When I was a kid.
How is social media changing news?
People no longer have to wait for top-of-the-hour news bulletins, since information is circulated on social media instantaneously
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Biko Zulu
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist means you are a guardian of information that is often either not accessible to everyone or is "hoarded" for personal gain.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Zakayo
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
On email. A paragraph or 2 with the key details of the story.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Data scraping tools such as Vortimo, OSINT tools such as InVID, Observable and Open refine, data analysis tools, web archiving tools
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Larry Madowo
Why did you become a journalist?
I had stories to tell; not just my own but people's and nature's stories as well.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but I worked for my college publication as a writer
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My latest story on planned exportation of mature baobab trees from Kenya to Georgia.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Journalism in the modern era is all about creativity and versatility: be creatively imaginative, adaptable to change.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time, aside from weekends
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I wouldn't say
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I am yet to get a bad pitch. I believe a bad pitch may be a good story, not just creatively summarized.
What's your favorite drink?
Fresh passion fruit juice
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading a book or going on safari
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Biko Zulu
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Many people believe that science is either difficult or uninteresting.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.