Dudley Muchiri
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Nation Africa,
Daily Nation,
Nairobi News,
Daily Monitor,
Business Daily Africa,
HT Syndication,
The Daily Monitor Newspaper
Covers:
Humanitarian and human interest issues, as well as business and property features.
Journalist @NationAfrica // Criminologist.
Dare to defy!
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Hmm? Training as a journalist perhaps? Technically I was in employment with Nation Africa while I was training at the Agha Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communication.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Nope, wouldn't know where to start.
How is social media changing news?
Social media has made information accessible to people instantly. Therefore in a world where just reporting the news can seem redundant, where misinformation and lies are rampantly propagated as news, mainstream media has been called upon to be more truthful, put in more work in verifying news and maintaining the integrity of news. One word rounds it up, convergence.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent... Haha
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be truthful, to have integrity and uphold social justice, to educate inform and more importantly, to be informed.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
#TheKenyaPresidentialDebate 2022. A lot of very hillarious memes came out of the deputy-presidential debate, satirising Kenyan politics ina refreshing manner.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer to be contacted via my work email, which is provided at the end of my articles. I can also be contacted via my social media accounts @Dudley Muchiri on all platforms.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
My "best friend" while writing is Microsoft word. I also use Google drive /One drive, Flourish and Pinpoint. To mention just a few.
What's your favorite social network?
WhatsApp
Who do you wish followed you?
Mark Maasai, Yvonne Okwara, Victoria, the NIS... Basically, lots of people.
Why did you become a journalist?
Simple! Because I am a very curious mind, and I love writing.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was chairman of the wildlife club for two years and an official for another two. During my 'tenure' I used to write informative articles and listicles for our club, usually presented in the club and displayed on the school notice board.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story published on nation.africa on March 22, 2022, about digital sexism. Working on the story was quite the eye opener to just how deeply rooted misogyny is in our society.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Just believe in yourself and take a leap, I know I did, having studied Criminology and knowing nothing about journalism, yet I dared try. Ps, read and write, just for fun. Helps hone your skills. Last one, stay informed, ALWAYS!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Midday (11am to 2 pm)
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I came up with the pitch myself but, it's the aforementioned story about Digital Sexism.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone who pitched a personal story (the topic was dealing with trauma), based on falsehoods.
What's your favorite drink?
My favourite drink is coffee (cappuccino). I probably started taking coffee when I was below 'legal age to take coffee', lol.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Listening to music and dancing around the house (when alone), hanging out with friends or enjoying a nice long tiresome ride to some destination.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Locally (in Kenya) I like following up on property and business articles in The Standard newspaper. Internationally I read on CNN's and Al Jazeera's websites.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I think it's the difficult in getting a good story. It's easy to assume business, social (lifestyle) or property stories are easy to come up with, I mean, they are all over, but it's not.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.