Hamza Khalid
(He/Him)
New York
As seen in:
The Jolt Journal
Covers:
Personal Finance · Banking · Interest Rates · Consumer Technology · Artificial Intelligence · Business
Software Engineer, Father, and Husband | Founder & CEO @hjitechnologies | Founder & Editor-in-Chief @thejoltjournal
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing for the Texas Tech University newspaper internally
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No. I'm a keyboard-and-backspace person. I'd have gone through a lot of correction fluid.
How is social media changing news?
It's made news faster and louder, but not always more accurate. A headline can reach millions before anyone checks it, and many people now see the reaction to a story before they see the story itself. That raises the bar for publishers: show where every number comes from, link to the original source, and correct mistakes openly. Speed still matters, but trust is what keeps readers coming back.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent. A mild-mannered reporter by day, about as mild as a finance writer can be. And Lois Lane got the better scoops.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means writing for the reader, not the people you're writing about. Find out what's true, show where it came from, and explain why it matters to someone's money, job, or daily life, in words anyone can follow. Be honest about what you don't know yet, and fix mistakes openly. Trust is the whole job; everything else is technique.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email to desk@joltjournal.com. Put the key number or finding in the subject line, and keep the email short: what happened, why it matters to people's money or tech, a link to the data or document, and who's available to talk on the record. Topics I cover: savings and CD rates, credit cards and fees, mortgages and borrowing costs, consumer tech, AI tools and their pricing, and scams and consumer protection. No paid placements, sponsored links, or guest posts. Please no follow-ups by phone or DM.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
For sources: FRED, the Treasury's and the Fed's own data pages, SEC EDGAR, and company investor-relations sites. I go to primary data first. For publishing: WordPress, with ClickUp to plan the newsroom and track every story. Google Search Console and Analytics tell me what readers are actually looking for, and Mailchimp sends the newsletter and morning briefing.
What's your favorite social network?
Honestly, none of them. I'd rather read the original source than the reaction. You can reach me on X at @byhamzak.
Who do you wish followed you?
Bill Gates
Why did you become a journalist?
I didn't come up through a newsroom. I started Tech Savvy Report in 2012 because I love technology, writing, and sharing.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. I came to it from the other side, as a reader who wanted tech and money news explained in plain English. That's why I started Tech Savvy Report in 2012, which became The Jolt Journal.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Our high-yield savings rate tracker. Each rate links directly to the bank's page and shows the date it was checked, so readers can see exactly where each number comes from. It's the kind of plain, checkable tool I wish had existed when I started, and on Nov. 1 it becomes the Jolt Journal Savings Rate Index, a monthly look at what banks actually pay. https://www.joltjournal.com/tools/high-yield-savings-rates/
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Go to the original source every time: the filing, the dataset, the press release, the person who actually said it. Write so a smart friend outside your field could follow it, and show your work with links. When you get something wrong, correct it openly. Readers forgive mistakes; they don't forgive hiding them. And start publishing now. You learn more from a year of putting your name on real work than from waiting until you feel ready.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Weekday mornings, Eastern time. The earlier the better, since the day's coverage is planned first thing. Email desk@joltjournal.com with the key number or finding in the subject line, a link to the data or document, and a source available to talk. For data or reports, a short embargo helps us do the story properly.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best ones are short and specific: one surprising number, a link to the data behind it, and a real person who can talk on the record that day. If I can see the story in the subject line and check it in five minutes, I'm interested.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The ones that offer to pay for a "guest post" with a link tucked inside, dressed up as news. If it needs a price tag to get published, it isn't a story.
What's your favorite drink?
Sprite
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Playing football or soccer with my kiddo
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Guardian, for citing sources in the text and correcting itself in the open. It's a big influence on how we handle sourcing at The Jolt Journal.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That money and tech are too complicated for most people. Usually, they're explained badly, not complicated. Most of it comes down to which number really drives your cost and where to check it.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
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