Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Winston Smith, 1984, burns yesterday's State news, and rewrites it. He writes Newspeak to dumb down language to constrict conceptualization.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
The reason: "We will always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice or corruption, always fight demagogues of all parties, always oppose privileged classes and public plunderers, never lack sympathy with the poor, always remain devoted to the public welfare, never be satisfied with merely printing news, always be drastically independent, never be afraid to attack wrong, whether by predatory plutocracy or predatory poverty.
Joseph Pulitzer, New York World (May, 1883)
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
The simplest of tools, Open Office, Google Boolean (even though they say it's not necessary). Search till it hurts for backgrounders
Why did you become a journalist?
Writing is something I've always done, it is art to me, crafting words is like the stroke of a brush.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It's not field to get rich or famous. It's a field for the insatiably curious. It's for those that can't quit until they get the answers.
What's your favorite drink?
Lemon, Moringa, Ginger, Basil, Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Peppermint and a little Astragalus in a smoothie. This is for health, not taste.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In a medieval fortress in the south of France
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I'm an all beats reporter, so therefore, what is that I don't know?
