What was your first job as a journalist?
I worked for a small newspaper called Metro Connection, based in Maryland. I am indebted to them.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I'm of a certain age.
How is social media changing news?
It makes it so that people who don't know the value of research and fact-checking are rushing to be first, and that's no good.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
None
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It's a great career, a tough one, but if one person learned something or got something out of my reporting, it's a win.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I haven't seen one that was humorous.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Emails are fine. Be as detailed as you can be. No need for slick language, trying to connect. I'm a human, so be human with me in your pitch.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Macbook Pro, Google Chrome, my trusty Samsung S24, social media, email, PR Newswire, YOAST SEO, WordPress VIP, Google, Twitter
What's your favorite social network?
Bluesky for now, but I may soon leave it all behind because what's the point?
Who do you wish followed you?
Nobody. I don't have an IG or FB account. X and Bluesky are too much as is.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to tell stories and break things down to digestible levels for readers. I believe in the power of literacy.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. I never took an English class in school because I advanced out. So I sat around mostly.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I have a few. My Freddie Gray protest stories for NewsOne come to mind. But I have so many I enjoy.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If you want to do this, know it doesn't pay a lot in the beginning. Don't be a plagiarist. That's wack. Work hard, stay out of the way.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the morning.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I can't say, but if I did a story about it, it was fine.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I won't say because that's not kind but I get them a lot.
What's your favorite drink?
Old Fashioned
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In a bar having a cocktail.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I don't read many publications these days. Work consumes my free reading. I read a ton of non-fiction books.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I have one. I write about so much, and it's the way I prefer it because it'd lose it just covering one topic all the time.
