What was your first job as a journalist?
Copy boy, Canadian Press, Ottawa, 1981.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Many, many times. That's how old I am. At one point, I was clocked at being able to type around 100 words-per-minute.
How is social media changing news?
In every possible way, mostly for the better. Twitter search is more powerful for breaking news trends, stories than any other Internet tool.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Chuck Tatum (Kirk Douglas) in Billy Wilder's 1951 drama ACE IN THE HOLE.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Unfortunately, not nearly as much as it used to. But on the Web, for yourself or those who pay you, always adhere to your own code of honor.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Not a big hashtag user or hashtag watcher.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. I am also obsessive about keeping ALL email correspondence 100% off-the-record, and have thus cultivated wide network of sources.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, Google chat, Open Office, Google alerts, Google search. And, of course, telephone and a pocket digital recorder.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter, by far. It's something I used effectively on behalf of Laura Ling and Euna Lee in 2009. Best thing the Internet has ever sprouted.
Who do you wish followed you?
Have no wish list in that regard. If someone follows me, I follow them. 100% reciprocity, and that's all I need.
Why did you become a journalist?
I was editor of my high school newspaper & also worked at radio station there. Got into fair amount of trouble, in my blood from then on.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes; I was the editor. Was hauled into principal's office several times for humorous op eds he did not find so humorous.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
October 2003 interview w/anonymous video pirate. Provoked legal threats from Mel Gibson, FBI investigation & indictment of guilty parties
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Only write for free, for yourself. Do not do it for ANYONE else, or else it will inevitably end badly.
