What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing music reviews for my college paper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Oh yes! I write most of my first drafts on an old Smith-Corona. It is among my most prized possessions and was my grandfather's.
How is social media changing news?
It is certainly changing the speed by which stories are delivered!
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Either Clark Kent or Les Nessman.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be concerned with ethics and to put the truth in the story above all.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Don't follow hashtags, but I'd have to say the whole "" craze around former President/McDonald's connoisseur Trump was classic.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer to be pitched on stories in a calm, reasonable tone and not by someone who talks 100-miles-a-minute with axes to grind.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Pen, paper, digital recorder, camera, MacBook Pro, Adobe CS, Microsoft Word and a 1950 Smith-Corona Sterling.
What's your favorite social network?
They are necessary bits of evil. I don't favor any of 'em, but I guess if held at gunpoint, Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
Not active on social medias, but if I were, it'd be cool to be followed by cats like Stephen King and Texas barbecue guru Daniel Vaughn.
Why did you become a journalist?
I have always had a love of writing and telling stories, and journalism is a way to combine those abilities toward public service.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Didn't really have one, but there were a couple of attempts. I just wrote whatever.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
An essay I wrote about grieving a pet, and attempting to help others faced with the same scenario in the essay.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do it for the sake of the story.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the afternoon.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Hmmmmm....so many interesting topics. Can't narrow it down to one off the top of my dome.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A local conspiracist tried to get me to do a story on how the government was taking over portions of her land. Seriously.
What's your favorite drink?
Hmmmmm...I'm an Irish whiskey guy, but also fond of bourbon. I'll get back to you on that...
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Spinning records in my home office or on my back porch with a beer.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
American Songwriter, Texas Monthly, Rotary, Texas Highways, the Houston Press, Austin Chronicle...I read lots.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
A common misconception about the sort of things I cover in the market I'm in is that "nothing happens." Well, a lot does happen!
