Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yep. A wrote a history essay on a manual in 8th grade in 1983, and learned keyboarding on an IBM Selectric in 1984.
How is social media changing news?
It aggregates and disaggregates news at the speed of light. It means being even more discerning between fact and fiction than ever before.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Hmm. Pretty much everything from Adobe Photoshop to MS Excel and interview recording, iMovie, Soundscape, etc.
Why did you become a journalist?
I haven't. I am a writer with an eclectic sense of interests, some areas of expertise, and a deep sense of fairness. But I'm not objective.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The one I did for Al Jazeera this summer about my journey as a writer/historian on the permanence of American racism. That was a humdinger.
What's your favorite drink?
Cranapple juice with almost anything.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Asleep or working out or cooking or with my wife and son.
