Devon Thorsby
As seen in:
MSN,
Yahoo Life,
Business Insider,
Yahoo News,
Yahoo Singapore,
Aol,
CNBC,
Yahoo Finance,
U.S. News and World Report,
Yahoo
and
Real Estate Reporter for U.S. News & World Report
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Staff reporter/Crime beat reporter.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Only as a very small child.
How is social media changing news?
For the good it's making it possible to get breaking news to the masses immediately. For the bad, unverified information and false reports.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hildy Johnson from His Girl Friday
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Informing the public on current events and providing information that will help them to make more informed decisions going forward.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A lot of Google Drive, among other things.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter for professional use, Instagram for personal.
Who do you wish followed you?
My mom, but she can't remember her Twitter login or password...
Why did you become a journalist?
I've always loved writing, and I can use my skills to inform people of things they need to know, and can benefit from.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No -- started working in journalism in college at The Michigan Daily (UofM), where I was crime beat reporter before becoming an editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Picking one would make the others feel bad.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Develop expertise in a specific topic/industry. You'll feel more valuable and there is always room for you to learn more on the subject.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Early morning when I'm sitting down to my desk and organizing my day/week.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
In college -- regarding aggressive squirrels on campus.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Most likely blocked it out of my memory.
What's your favorite drink?
Tea.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my couch reading or on the bus, as my daily commute is endless.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
BBC online news and Curbed for real estate and design-related news.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That real estate is unimportant outside of the industry, when in fact development and the housing market are key indicators for the economy.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.