What was your first job as a journalist?
I started working at the BBC, straight from school, almost by accident. I went to do one day's work experience and stayed for four years.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, but only for fun.
How is social media changing news?
It means we need less time in the pub to find stories. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Spiderman
What does it mean to be a journalist?
So many different things - to inform, to entertain, to challenge, but mostly to have a voice and to help others do the same.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email, with the relevant information and a link to good images.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Very little - a notepad and pen (I take shorthand notes), I write on a mac, take pictures with a battered Nikon DSLR.
What's your favorite social network?
They're all good for different things.
Who do you wish followed you?
My grandfather. I'd like him to see a picture of my daughters. He died the month before the eldest was born.
Why did you become a journalist?
To try to walk in lots of different shoes.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
We didn't have one, but I did contribute to the university newspaper. I wrote their book reviews and quizzes.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
That's like choosing between your children. I'm proud of lots of them, but I hope my best story is yet to come.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do what you enjoy. It's a fantastic job. I've had a front-row seat to history and been allowed to ask all sorts of questions.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Overnight so I see it in my inbox first thing, or at the weekend when I work but most agencies don't
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best stories are always told by people who don't realise they have a story to tell.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I get loads every day that we could never use - way off patch, no relevance, I imagine whoever sends them just needs names to add to a list.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In my kitchen
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I read as many newspapers as I can get my hands on every day, plus magazines and websites.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we want to do pre-arranged reviews of restaurants. People still seem baffled that we go unannounced and that a free dinner isn't a draw.
