What was your first job as a journalist?
I started out as a "rock journalist" in college -- music is still a first love -- and then got a job as a "messenger" at The New Yorker.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. Yes I have.
How is social media changing news?
Obviously it has quickened the pace and requires us to "break" breaking news faster.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist means having a passion for your fellow man and women and desire to keep them accurately informed about their world.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is fine, but I want to know that the person making the pitch is really familiar with what we do and what our actual needs are.
What's your favorite social network?
Hmm. I enjoy the immediacy of X, and the connectiveness of Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
I wouldn
Why did you become a journalist?
I feel in love with news while still a kid due to early, regular exposure both to daily newspapers and the nightly news on television.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I loved writing on the politics of charter revision in NY, loved my environmental stuff in Florida, and love what I'm doing today.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If you really want to do this, persevere. And never stop honing your skills.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Probably morning, and later in the week, just due to our top heavy, early in the week newsletter schedule.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Well, more a tip than a pitch -- I got a call telling me there was a lady in town who'd voted in every election post-women's suffrage.
What's your favorite drink?
It really depends on the moment.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I think people get caught up in the glamour of DC and don't realize that covering it well is very hard work.
