Finn Blackwell
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Radio New Zealand (RNZ),
MSN New Zealand,
Manawatū Standard,
Stuff.co.nz,
The Marlborough Express,
The Nelson Mail,
The Southland Times,
The Timaru Herald,
Flipboard,
Cooking the Books with Frances Cook,
Today in Business (Podcast)
and
Covers:
Crime, Social Issues, Auckland Issues
I write things. Reporter for RNZ. Screaming into the void since 2018. finn.blackwell@rnz.co.nz. Views are my own
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I worked for the Wellington University Student magazine 'Salient' as the lead correspondent
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yup! I have an old Brother typewriter from 1960s
How is social media changing news?
It's making it far more accessible, but also far more important as it combats things such as misinformation (also spread by social media)
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Tintin
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a journalist is to advocate for information and truth, as well as a responsibility to deliver that information in an unbiased manner.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
In person
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use Googles Docs to draft my pieces
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Ronan Farrow
Why did you become a journalist?
To share relevant and important information to the public in an effective and efficient way,
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I wrote a few online articles
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My team and I broke a story about University students being charged for their halls of residence while they were unable to return.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
If you commit yourself to the craft 100%, you can't help but write good stories.
When's the best time to pitch you?
First thing in the morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A journo wanted to go undercover on Facebook to a bunch of conspiracy theory pages and see what they could learn.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone who pitched a story that I had written, saying they based it off another article, not knowing I was the one who wrote it initially.
What's your favorite drink?
A nice coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Relaxing with friends or reading a good book
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
It's boring
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.