What was your first job as a journalist?
My first job in journalism was a summer internship at Gannett Suburban Newspapers in New York. I got bylines and, eventually, a paying gig.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I used a Brother typewriter in the Dark Ages. It taught me the importance of not making mistakes because they were so hard to correct.
How is social media changing news?
Social media gives non-journalists the power to control their own narrative, which is fine if they're telling the truth.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lou Grant. My least favorite fictional journalists are on Fox News.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
In this toxic political climate, being a journalist means not being afraid to tell the truth and never forgetting that knowledge is power.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
. I'm amused and impressed by the way Serena Williams has united women around shared issues of motherhood.
Who do you wish followed you?
President Barack Obama.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
We didn't have a high school newspaper. I wrote for The Observer at Fordham University, mostly about politics. I loved seeing my byline.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story on blacks in hockey for The (Raleigh) News & Observer. It was so well-received that it led to my first book, Breaking the Ice.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't go into journalism to get rich. If it happens, great. But the emphasis should be on telling truths, however inconvenient they may be.
What's your favorite drink?
Iced tea with honey and lemon.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Watching sports, in person or on TV, or watching a movie.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Magazine. The journalism is consistently strong. I start with the cultural matrix on the back page and work my way to the front.
