Erik Evans
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Roll Bama Roll,
SB Nation,
MSN,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Sports,
Yahoo,
NewsBreak,
BVM Sports,
WYTK-FM (Rogersville, AL)
Covers:
College football, sports betting, data analysis, college basketball, general college athletics, and legal and regulatory issues in college athletics
I need that damn woman like a dream needs gasoline. I peaked in the Enlightenment and ripened with the New Deal.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Beat reporter, then eventually worked my way up all the way to Managing Editor of the Coosa County News
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I grew up with a typewriter: the last generation to do so. Not too bad for a bunch of Grunge Slackers, eh?
How is social media changing news?
Social Media has changed news in several respects. The speed is obviously the first; the second is that social media too often becomes news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Murphy Brown or Clark Kent
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To tell a good story, cleanly and crisply and accurately as possible, in a manner that is calculated to reach your audience.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
good news puppies
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email works great. I'm always awake.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Laptops, iPads, mobile devices, Libre Office, Firefox, Brave, a lot of caffeine
What's your favorite social network?
I honestly don't like social media. But Blue Sky is shaping up very well. It has a lot of the anarchic freedoms of Old Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Petr Pavel, President of Czechia
Why did you become a journalist?
I fell in love with it in high school: the buzz, the action, the uncertainty, the teaching role -- and it's always varied, always surprising.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did. I was the Editorial Editor for our HS Paper. I solicited and frequently wrote editorial pieces for the Board.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
It's a cop-out, but I'm proud of most of them, for one reason or another.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Grind. Grind. Grind. And self-promote. This requires a lot of hard work an entrepreneurial spirit.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I am available anytime.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
An exploration of Title IX tribunals on college campuses, and how they are unfit to vindicate rights or exact deprivations (See portfolio)
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I was pitched to write about kickers in the NFL draft. I don't cover the NFL...or know about kicking.
What's your favorite drink?
I don't drink. But, when I did? Old Fashioned with Blanton's
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Exercising, playing guitar, petting a dog, hanging out with my love.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I go through phases. This month, I'm on The Economist
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we are drones in Mom's Basement. I have my own basement, thank you very much.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.