What was your first job as a journalist?
Copy boy
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yeah. I think I still have an old (non-electric) Browning somewhere.
How is social media changing news?
Social media seems to be doing a damned good job of undermining our common understanding of the world around us.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Probably the Gene Evans character (Phineas Mitchell) in the Sam Fuller film "Park Row."
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be the people's bullshit detector.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
No clue. I rarely pay attention to hastags.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
E-mail is best. I don't have to worry about misplacing my phone and I generally don't lose e-mails.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Computers, cameras (currently Canons) and mobile phones (both iPhone and Android). Software: Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite.
What's your favorite social network?
Ugh. Really?
Who do you wish followed you?
Shirley Manson of Garbage would be nice.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'll be damned if I know. I never planned to become one. It's just the only world I seem to fit in.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I mostly lusted after the teacher. Somehow I ended up managing editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Good question. Probably the work I did for the Sea Education Association on the Plastics at SEA expedition or the "Deadly Practice" series.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be willing to try new things and develop new skill sets. A journalistic mindset is useful in all sorts of endeavors.
When's the best time to pitch you?
E-mail doesn't matter. NEVER call me early.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I don't remember.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Anything from a political organization where its factual foundation is as scarce as the organization's lack of bias.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee. Black. No sweeteners, no weird flavorings (though piñon coffee is damned nice).
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Playing with a not-so-vicious pit bull.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I don't have just one. The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, and The Atlantic top my list.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I'm a sports fan masquerading as a journalist.
