Greg Garrison
Verified
As seen in:
AL.com,
MSN,
MSN Money Canada,
MSN Singapore,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
MSN Malaysia,
Aol,
Yahoo Finance,
Money US News,
ZDNet
and
Covers:
Feature Stories, Southern Culture, Religion, Faith, Spirituality, Life Stories
Reporter @aldotcom covering religion, politics and Southern culture since 1985. @mujschool.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was hired as the first full-time religion beat reporter at The Anniston Star in Alabama in 1985.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I think I was in the last News 105 class at the University of Missouri School of Journalism that used typewriters. I still own one.
How is social media changing news?
You can reach almost anybody anywhere now, and going viral is always a possibility.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
You're writing the first draft of history. Get it right.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email: ggarrison@al.com
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A Dell laptop and Iphone 6 are the essential reporting tools, but I still carry an ink pen and reporter's pad also.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
Brad Pitt
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to make a living writing and telling stories.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I was the editor of Blue's Image, high school paper of Bourbon (Mo.) High School. It appeared weekly in the Bourbon Beacon.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I covered Mother Angelica as she created EWTN Global Catholic Network, the world's largest religious broadcasting network.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be a jack of all trades, but master at least one.
When's the best time to pitch you?
By email anytime.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
There's a nun who started her own TV network.
What's your favorite drink?
Milo's Iced Tea.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Hiking in the mountains or at the beach on the Gulf Coast.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I've covered religion 30+ years. It's not a narrow beat. Faith and spirituality permeate every aspect of life.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.