Elizabeth Schmidt
(She/Her)
As seen in:
Post Outlook,
Cambridge University Press & Assessment,
City Press,
Jacobin,
Africa Is a Country,
Geeska-چيسكا
Covers:
My journalism focuses on current conflicts in Africa and their historical roots. My articles emphasize the role of outsiders in instigating and perpetuating these conflicts.
Doesn't Cover:
N/A
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I not a professional journalist, but rather, an academic who engages in journalism to reach a wider, public audience.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes--a manual one before grad school, when I graduated to electric!
How is social media changing news?
It can dangerous--promoting theories without evidence--and oversimplifying complex issues with sound bites.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman (lol).
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It is a huge responsibility. The public bases many of its decisions on the arguments and evidence we make in our work.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Hmmm. I don't do
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I usually pitch my ideas to publications--not vice versa.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Microsoft and Google, mainly.
What's your favorite social network?
Despite its problems I used Facebook, because it is widely used in Africa, which is among the audiences I hope to reach.
Who do you wish followed you?
Policy makers and members of the public who seek knowledge that will help them promote social justice.
Why did you become a journalist?
My activism in the anti-apartheid movement in the 1970s led to an interest in investigative reporting.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but when I was in high school, I wrote articles for the town paper on behalf of the high school Environment Action Group.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Exposing how US businesses used the cover of a fair employment code to camouflage their critical support for apartheid.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If necessary, be willing to write for free until you have a portfolio that will lead to paid work.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
What do you want to write about (lol).
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Can't think of one.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee!
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Tutoring in a prison education program.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
"Africa is a Country"
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Although I wish that more academics tried to engage readership outside the academy, many reach out to this audience.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.