Jack Bragen
Verified
Covers:
Mental health, commentary, fiction, science fiction, any other interesting topic I can think of.
Doesn't Cover:
Hard sciences, How to get rich, car repair, how to pilot a Cessna.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Being a columnist for the Berkeley Daily Planet is the first instance in which I've had an agreement to do a piece every week.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I bought a manual typewriter at seventeen. I used it to type an insurance report detailing an armed robbery in which I was hostage. For real.
How is social media changing news?
It seems to add a lot of confusion. This can be good or bad depending on the specific situation. It is good that everyone can take video.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means responsibility to tell the truth and to do no harm. It also means gaining greater clarity of thought, by means of osmosis.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I like to initiate a story. And then, if the editor doesn't believe it is quite right, I appreciate being told what is wrong with it.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, Wordpad, Notepad. I also have refused updates to MS Office.
What's your favorite social network?
I am tempted to take The Fifth on this one, since I feel every bit as awkward on a social network as I do when seeing people in person.
Why did you become a journalist?
I decided that in my opinion, I was good enough to compete. For the first few years, no one believed me.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Teach yourself new ways to think. Take fish oil which helps brain structure. Conform absolutely to submission guidelines.
What's your favorite drink?
Iced coffee with no sweetener and no whitener. Just coffee and ice. And a lot of it, a lot.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Going to medical and psychiatric appointments, spending time with my wife, meditating, eating, washing dishes, taking out trash, sleeping.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Asimov's Science Fiction. The stories are good. I used to go to a Barnes and Noble that has since closed down, read, eat pastries... gone.
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