Hellen Shikanda
Verified- Health and Science Journalist, Nation Media Group
- Health and Science Journalist, Daily Nation
Nairobi
As seen in:
Daily Nation,
Nation Media Group,
MSN,
Nairobi News,
Nation Africa,
AllAfrica,
Daily Monitor,
Taifa Leo,
The East African,
Business Daily Africa,
The Citizen (Tanzania),
American Association for Cancer Research
and
Covers:
Health and Science, Human Interest, Arts and Lifestyle, Business Features, Gender.
Doesn't Cover:
I am just starting out as a journo, (2020) I prefer not to be selective yet. I may, in future...
|Science Journo @NationAfrica |@risj_oxford, OCJN Fellow '21| @ThomFound (Bettina '21) | @NatPress Fellow '22| @ClimateTracking Fellow '22| @IGAD Winner '23|
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Editor for school magazines.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
How is social media changing news?
It is excluding the intrigues of news because of the urgency to be first and fast t to break the news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Annie Proulx
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To always going an extra mile, thinking fast, and being curious.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I can't think of one right now, so, pass...
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Face to face, so that I can clarify all I need to before working on the story.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A computer is just fine
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Margaret Atwood, Michelle Obama
Why did you become a journalist?
I have always wanted to be one since I was 10. I started a 'snitch' for the journalism club in primary school, I loved it!
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
We did not have one in high school
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
https://nation.africa/kenya/news/kenyans-in-china-cry-for-help-as-they-face-stigma--285412
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Fight for your space, it is the only way you will make a name. Read, read, and read.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime, especially when the idea is still fresh and I have all my facts right.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A pitch from an editor with five more stories to work on after writing what he thought was a 'very good story.'
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I am yet to get one
What's your favorite drink?
Milk
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my phone, or reading a book.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Granta, Pulitzer Winning stories endless list. I love reading.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it is a female only kind of beat with complex jargon
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.