J. Barnes
New York
As seen in:
Medium,
GameCritics,
RealClear Defense,
Unwinnable,
Busted Halo,
The Indypendent,
Glasstire,
Gay & Lesbian Review,
Queens Ledger,
SUPERJUMP
and
Covers:
Religion, politics, sex, Minecraft, and everything else.
Doesn't Cover:
Nothing.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing about the Library of Alexandria for my college's newspaper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
My grandfather's, yes. It's a devil to write on, though--you need to jam each key down like you're stomping on a cockroach.
How is social media changing news?
For the worse. Now any schmuck with ChatGPT thinks they're a journalist.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Jack Burden from All the King's Men, even though he spends most of his career covering things up.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Telling the truth, even when nobody wants to hear it.
What's your favorite social network?
MySpace. Nobody posts there, so I never get bothered by anything.
Who do you wish followed you?
Robert Kurvitz! I'd love to get his attention to do another ad nauseam article about Disco Elysium.
Why did you become a journalist?
I've always enjoyed writing, and journalists get paid to write, as well as meet some of the coolest people around!
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but for my college paper I did a lot of opinion stuff and occasional campus deep-dives. (My HS didn't have a paper. Had a litmag, though)
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Right now I'm working on an article about the Middle East's minorities--like the Yezidis, the Mandaeans, the Druze, and the like.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep pitching.
What's your favorite drink?
Water. Aside from water? Lemonade. Alcoholic? Cognac. Cocktail? Old fashioned. (My grandmother's favorite.)
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Ouch! I get that. Either at my day job (newspapers out there pls hire me full time) or wandering the city's streets.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I always love reading the newest copy of my college's litmag.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
It's not fun. (Trust me, it is.)
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
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