What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a political columnist for a small, weekly newspaper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes!!! And I have an antique one on my nightstand.
How is social media changing news?
It is making it difficult to correct misinformation. Once something is "out there" it's hard to get people to understand context, etc.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hugh/Helen Steeply from David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest"
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To tell important stories in the most honest way possible.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
n/a
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Via email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Microsoft Word, Apple computing products, paid subscriptions to reliable journalism publications, paid subscriptions to podcasts.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Harvard Professor Michael Sandel, but he's not on Twitter!
Why did you become a journalist?
To tell stories that no one else was paying attention to.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, I was too busy with orchestra and band, and art projects.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The stories I care the most about center on everyday working people who do indispensable, but unglamorous jobs or volunteering.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep writing, keep pitching editors, be undeniable.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"Would you be interested in speaking with Yo-Yo Ma?" (He was wonderful, by the way)
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Cinco de Mayo automatic tortilla maker. (Barf.)
What's your favorite drink?
A cold Diet Coke
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On a dog walk with my two dogs.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I just write my feelings. But I'm actually super data-driven, research-driven - I let facts and reliable sources do most of the talking.
