Daryl James
Verified
As seen in:
Institute for Justice,
MSN,
The Wall Street Journal,
The Washington Post,
USA Today,
Yahoo News,
Yahoo News Malaysia,
Aol,
New York Daily News,
Chicago Tribune,
Slate
and
Covers:
Individual liberty. Areas of emphasis include overregulation, occupational licensing, property rights, free speech and police accountability.
Writer at Institute for Justice (@IJ) and former newspaper journalist. Opinions are my own.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Page designer at the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
My mom told me to take typing as a high school elective, but I skipped it. I played around on typewriters but never used them for work.
How is social media changing news?
Social media empowers everyone to tell their own stories, which keeps legacy journalists sharp. Competition is always good.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Fictional journalists mostly have horrible ethics. I'm looking at you, Superman and Spider-Man. But shooting webs is cool.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Dig for the truth. Report it. Don't be boring. Don't pick sides.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
NA
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
iPhone and ThinkPad loaded with the basics.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter moves fast. Never boring.
Who do you wish followed you?
My kids.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to fight the power.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was the radical cartoonist for my high school newspaper. My (very funny) cartoons often got me in trouble.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I met a 90-year-old survivor of the "Kindertransport" in Germany, who never had shared his story. I interviewed him and got it published.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't be boring. Write for your readers, not the sources you want to impress. That's more important than not being biased.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Normal business hours.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
NA
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
NA
What's your favorite drink?
Homemade root beer.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I spend time outdoors, running and hiking. I travel when I can. Sometimes I cook (badly).
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Wired
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
People see most issues in terms of left or right, but liberty is nonpartisan.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.