What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering three small towns at the mouth of the Connecticut River in a bureau of the Middletown (CT) Press (1972-3)
Have you ever used a typewriter?
From day one of my first job. Had to learn to type before going to my job interview.
How is social media changing news?
definitely for the worse. Journalism needs editors. Unchecked "news" that has not standard of truth is not journalism. it's like gossip.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Spencer Tracy
What does it mean to be a journalist?
That you have accepted the responsibility to tell the truth and to be fair, as well as open about your own political views.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
/a
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email only
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Computers are essential. I use a notebook, neve a recorder. Google and other search engines!
What's your favorite social network?
none
Who do you wish followed you?
Everyone (that'll never happen) and NOT the FBI or other US spy agencies (that IS happening)
Why did you become a journalist?
Inspired by the predations of Nixon/Agnew and the crime of the US war on Vietnam which made me an antiwar activist and draft resister.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Edited an unofficial underground school paper which was banned by the administration. It was called Provos.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My investigative book on the death penalty case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, "Killing Time" (Common Courage Press, 2003)
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do not think about promotions, getting rich, being popular or famous, or winning accolades from editors. Just seek to expose the truth,
When's the best time to pitch you?
mid-morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Would you be interested in writing a book on the impeachable crimes of President George W. Bush? From the St. Martins' Press publisher.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
too many to choose from
What's your favorite drink?
coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
playing guitar, jogging/hiking, doing yard work and house repairs
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Counterpunch, Common Dreams, Nation of Change, the Guardian (UK) and, unfortunately, the NY Times.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The American national myth of being "exceptional," that the US is a self-less promoter of peace in the world, and that capitalism works.
