Dorothy Brooks
VerifiedInterview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was hired to write and edit a brochure for a non profit organization.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, I have.
How is social media changing news?
It is making it less relevant.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A journalist uses these tools: facts, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure to write so that ideas are communicated.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Can't remember/
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I would prefer to be told who the audience is; whether I am limited to certain viewpoints; the deadlines and the financial benefit to me.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Lap top, phone
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
President Trump
Why did you become a journalist?
I have a lot to say and must express it.
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?
I just finished a new piece about Jonestown and Jim Jones that I am proud of because it fulfilled a commitment I made.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Know your own values and be true to them.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Now.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I responded to an offer to tour a time share. The salesman was brilliant! In the end my kids were BEGGING me to buy the expensive property
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I was called and after repeatedly saying that I had an appointment and had to hang up, the salesperson would not terminate the call.
What's your favorite drink?
White wine.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the kitchen.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
My Bible.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I don't appreciate humor.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.