What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporter on local newspaper - Petersfield Herald - parish council meetings, flower shows, nibs about tractors being stolen. You can imagine.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Sure. When I started out in papers - 1990-3.
How is social media changing news?
It's making it easier (to get hold of interviewees) but it's also making it more vulnerable to fake news
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton's character in The Paper)
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It is the best job in the world...if you are a curious person. You just get to find out about new stuff every day.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Crime reporter
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Everything that's going
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
On social media? Iggy Pop
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I loved reading newspapers....and wanted to be the guy with the pen
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. But me and my friend made our own newspaper with made up news - the Westcroft Weekly - when I was about 12.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Being part of the Gloucester Citizen team in 1993/4/5 which covered the Fred and Rose West case. We held our own against Fleet Street's best
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Never give up. Believe in yourself. Never stop asking questions.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the morning, after I've had a coffee
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"I'm going to Colombia to see how cocaine is made."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Can't remember
What's your favorite drink?
Pint of real ale
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the pub
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Guardian
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That journalists have no ethics
