What was your first job as a journalist?
Newspaper reporter in the tiny town of Marion, Ohio. Lasted three months. Learned a lot though.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Dad had an Royal, like the Chron's Herb Caen. Loved the clickety-clack. Reporters should use them, & wear fedoras & double-breasted suits.
How is social media changing news?
If people are talking about a topic, it's news. If we're not covering it, we're not in the news business. Social media is also curbing bias.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent. Mild-mannered reporter by day... You know the rest.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being a journalist means eating in a five-star restaurant and an airport vending machine within the same 24 hours.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Too many to pick just one. There's plenty of gallows humor in a newsroom. We're like the fire service/EMS that way.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Mondays by e-mail is best. No phone calls. No follow up "circling back" emails asking "did you get my pitch?" I read every one.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Facebook, Twitter, Lexis-Nexis. GOYAKOD (Get Off Your Ass, Knock On Doors). Old-fashioned calling works best.
What's your favorite social network?
Oakland Raiders tailgate parties. Social Distortion mosh-pits. Facebook too is great for culling anecdotes.
Who do you wish followed you?
My Dad and both sets of my grandparents.
Why did you become a journalist?
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My story on failing guardrails in 2013. It's what I got into journalism to do. They have now been removed from roads in California and VA
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Learn to write a simple declarative sentence. Don't take no for an answer. Don't go into a story with an agenda or bias. Never give up.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Monday mornings by. No. Phone. Calls. Also, no "circling back" or "did you get my pitch?" follow up emails. I get at least 10 pitches a day
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Can't really remember a notable one, but I always remember the bad, disrespectful ones that start off "Dear. (blank) " or "Dear David.."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Got an absolutely incoherent one the other day. The PR rep pitched an angle on a story where the data showed the complete opposite...
What's your favorite drink?
Peet's Iced Coffee. Or tonic and lime. Giving up beer (and alcohol) has been great for my waistline and wallet.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At the gym or with my family. Raiders and A's games, Social Distortion or AC/DC concerts.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
GQ Magazine, ESPN The Magazine. Sports Illustrated. The Daily Beast, The Federalist, American Thinker. The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I write a lot about NY/SF/DC real estate to help illustrate national trends, but don't cover most day-to-day real estate transactions there.
