What was your first job as a journalist?
Overseas property reporter for Ireland's Sunday Business Post.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No.
How is social media changing news?
It is eviscerating it from the inside out. I can't understand why media embraces it, there is no responsibility for truthfulness.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Stig Larsson
What does it mean to be a journalist?
People read what you write, and some even believe it. It is important to honour the profession with quality product, particularly now.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email, a short summary of the pitch and why it may be relevant to the readership of the Irish Times.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My brain, networking skills, knowledge of the industry and Word on a computer.
What's your favorite social network?
I actually don't like any of them much. Facebook at a push, I really dislike Twitter, it attracts too many haters, but media outlets love it.
Who do you wish followed you?
Anybody would be great in all honesty, I'm not expecting a lot.
Why did you become a journalist?
I was asked.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, never wrote a word I wasn't forced to while in school.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I wrote an exposé on a rogue property developer many years ago, saved a lot of people from being duped by him.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write about what you love.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning, before 11am.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
'Narrowest property in the Algarve', as if it was a unique selling point.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
'The narrowest property in the Algarve'.
What's your favorite drink?
Tea.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Walking in the hills.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Sunday Business Post
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we're in league with developers and agents to mislead potential property buyers.
