What was your first job as a journalist?
Staff writer on the teen mag Bliss. It was the best job ever! I ghost wrote for pop stars and amassed a huge collection of Bieber merch.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Only when I'm forced into one of those bars where you have to drink your cocktails from jam jars.
How is social media changing news?
Quickly! Readers are setting the agenda, everything is moving at a lightning pace, and I think readers and writers feel equally engaged now.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I'm very fond of Shauna Malwae-Tweep on Parks And Recreation.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
You're writing for readers (or viewers or listeners.) Don't let your audience dictate your content but always have them in your mind.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Possibly the Susan Boyle record launch a couple of years ago, or (funnier if you're British!).
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is best, I really hate doing it over the phone! Most editors are increasingly reluctant to do anything that looks too PR-y though.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Macbook, ipad, iphone, word. Occasionally very basic photo editing stuff. And Spotify, for musical motivation.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter, natch. I met my boyfriend on there. I've found work on there. At my last birthday party, over half the guests were Twitter friends.
Who do you wish followed you?
I'm already a huge fan girl for some of my Twitter followers, like Caitlin Moran and Lauren Laverne. Maybe the actor Matt Berry.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm a show off and I like making people laugh! My favourite features are the funny ones, and everything else springs from there.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was the music editor, then the food editor for the York uni student paper Nouse.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Possibly the features I've written for the Guardian and the Independent where I've written very personal content about my own mental health.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read everything you can get your hands on, write your face off and plug away at it. It takes time.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I'm looking for ideas for my Telegraph Wonder Women column early in the week, so Mondays and Tuesdays are good.
