What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporter at The Maneater, the student newspaper of the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I learned to type on an IBM Selectric typewriter and can still do 120 WPM.
How is social media changing news?
Instead of private Rolodexes, we now have public ones. It's easier to find people.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Pitch me by email. It's not perfect but it's the best digital communications method we've come up with so far.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
As a big tech-head, I use a lot of open source software and Unix-style command line tools to process large datasets.
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist because I like understanding complicated subjects and then explaining them so that others can understand, too.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't become a journalist! Become a good writer and then apply that skill to another profession. The world always needs good writers.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
So many! When people pitch themselves and talk about themselves in the third person irks the most.
What's your favorite drink?
I like to drink ginger beer.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
When I'm not at the desk, I'm most likely to be in bed reading.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Big fan of museums, libraries, and bookstores, so I like to follow them for their news, culture, and intelligence.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Many people wrongly believe that correct language use is in decline, that slang is all bad words, and that any language change spells doom.
