George Toshio Johnston
Verified
Covers:
civil rights, feature writing, politics, entertainment, media, personalities, business, investigative reporting
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
An internship at a local TV station.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
Social media can be a force for good, as long as it is not misleading or inaccurate information.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent. Or Peter Parker. Maybe Brit Reid.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Telling important stories
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
unknown
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email, if at all.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Olympus LS-11 PCM Recorder, Apple MacBook Pro, iPhone, MS Word, WordPress, to name a few.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
I'm not looking for followers, but anyone who feels compelled to do so, go right ahead.
Why did you become a journalist?
For the waters. (I was misinformed.)
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm fact-checking a story about a man whose experiences, if true, are extraordinary.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
There are many skills one can acquire; be open to learning them and possibly reapplying them.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Via email, anytime.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I followed up on an email I received, which led to me to writing a piece that resulted in an award from a journalism competition.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Fifth amendment on that one.
What's your favorite drink?
Sparkling water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Playing basketball
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I have more than one, so no one favorite.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I get paid exorbitant amounts of money.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.