What was your first job as a journalist?
At Suburban Trends in New Journey, a twice-weekly that still exists.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, from my first job in 1974 to my joining UPI in 1980.
How is social media changing news?
Starving us of cash.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Fletch, Boot
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To look for important stories that others aren't covering.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Don't know
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer e-mail.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
No idea
Why did you become a journalist?
To have fun and improve the world
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
It didn't have one. I grew up in France.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If you want to write for big publications, go as far away as possible: your value increases with the distance to the newsroom.
When's the best time to pitch you?
After 10 am, though by e-mail it doesn't matter.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
To write about the disappearing Caspian sturgeon. I eventually married the pitcher, who won a Silver Anvil in Public Service PR.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I don't remember
What's your favorite drink?
Gin and tonic
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
on my sailboat
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The NY and the London Review of Books.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I don't have a beat.
