What was your first job as a journalist?
Westsider, Chelsea-Clinton News, East Side Express -- community newspapers in Manhattan where I was a police reporter
Have you ever used a typewriter?
YES! I began my journalism career on a manual.
How is social media changing news?
It alerts us all immediately. The major problem is speed has often become more important than accuracy.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Brenda Starr
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To dig for and tell the truth.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Asked and answered
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
jacqueline.cutler@gmail.com
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Ottr, Zoom, Grammarly
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
A few million more people
Why did you become a journalist?
An incurable curiosity, a love of digging, of hearing people's stories, and the ability to translate and tell those stories.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, but we only had a couple of issues during my years. I did an advice column.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Magazine pieces: Queens, Russian Doll. Newspaper: Investigative series on Oakland Housing Authority.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read as much as possible. Ask yourself how important money is to you.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime is fine. Email remains the best option.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Called to ask if I wanted to go to Africa for stories. (The answer was YES!)
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone sent me his book and told me he expected a positive review by a certain date. (He did not succeed.)
What's your favorite drink?
Soft drink: coffee. Alcoholic: vodka.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Walking in either the suburb where I live or NYC.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NYT
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That you sit around and watch TV all day.
