What was your first job as a journalist?
Editor of the Butner-Creedmoor News, circulation 1,000, in Creedmoor, NC, once the mule capital of the world.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, when I was a child
How is social media changing news?
For the worst. Anyone these days is a "journalist" if he or she knows how to type and has a blog or Facebook account
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means you're curious and a skeptic who is willing to cover an issue and write a story without fear or favor
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
via email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Mac, Grammarly, Word, lots of websites that I use to research data
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook, although I have issues with it
Who do you wish followed you?
The late Stuart Dim, a brilliant editor who taught me a lot
Why did you become a journalist?
I am a natural born sceptic
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?
A story calling out Grindr, the world's most prominent gay app, for facilitating the sale of methamphetamine
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Remember: If your mother says she loves you, check it out!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time (until midnight :)
What's the best pitch you ever got?
An agent who asked me to write a book about the fall of America's most famous newspaper dynasties.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Writing about the Oscars. Not my thing
What's your favorite drink?
Jack and coke, and diet coke
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my mobile phone. I've learned to edit and even write short stories on my iPhone
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I have many beats, and the most common misperception is that I write a revealing story about a local politician because I don't like him.
