Jack McClintock
Massachusetts
Covers:
The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything...
Doesn't Cover:
The nattering, whining, complaints of spoiled, self-important, entitled members of America's kur generation(s). I refuse to waste time on any of it, there being so many real problems to solve.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Presenting articles that illuminate facts/knowledge people don't know/understand.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
It seems to undermine the reliability of information. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, not their own facts. Truth is a sacred trust.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Are there FICTIONAL journalists?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I'm not really a journalist, for were I one today I should feel deep shame for the profession.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
"All the News that's fit to print."
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I'm old school and prefer in-person, but I'm happy to send clips and do FaceTime over online platforms like Zoom.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word processor, spellcheck, and fact-checkers. Now, of course, I use AI.
What's your favorite social network?
My family, Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
E Musk, DJ Trump, Scott Bessent, Hilary Clinton, Associate Justice: Clarence Thomas, and you, of course.
Why did you become a journalist?
Frustration at the misrepresentation of facts by media. I just thought I could do a better (much better) job.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I wrote stories.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Sin Eater: Memoirs of a Prison Psychologist—Amazon Press.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Grasp truth, and hold it close. Opinions are for publicists, facts are for reporters.
When's the best time to pitch you?
9 AM EST
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"I'd like to help you get published. What you've got to share with people has to be shared."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Hi, I'm from the government, I'm here to help...
What's your favorite drink?
Godfather, a drink made with Bourbon and Dissaronno.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At work.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Harvard Classics.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I have one...
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.