Divani Coopoosamy
Verified
(She/Her)
As seen in:
Briefly News,
Medium,
SossTalk,
Independent Online,
The Mercury (South Africa),
The South African
Covers:
Social issues, youth and community voices, media and representation, gender, pop culture, heritage and storytelling.
Doesn't Cover:
Politics, business and sports.
Human interest writer and journalist @brieflyza
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
It was news anchoring and I had to be on the ball before I went live on air every hour. It was the most fast paced job I've ever experienced.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Maybe when I was a little girl. My sister has a typewriter.
How is social media changing news?
It allows people to interact with it more. It makes news available immediately, mobile, and easily accessible and cuts down on reading time.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Truman Capote
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Hurry up and wait. You chase your story and contacts and then you wait to get answers or you wait for people to get back to you.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
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How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Mp3gain, Ocenaudio, Grammarly, Google Docs, Word
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram, I like looking at pictures.
Who do you wish followed you?
Honestly, all my lecturers who helped me in University.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I'm an inquisitive person, who believes knowledge is power. Learning about the things going on around me is imperative.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, we didn't have one.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Single and ready to mingle
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Achieving success can be challenging, but putting in the effort now will lead to greater rewards in the future.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime before lunch.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Write an article about various religion's viewpoints on gay marriage.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Didn't have one.
What's your favorite drink?
Diet coke
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At home playing with my dogs.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The South African
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
International stories have more weight than local ones
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.