James Pero
Verified
(He/Him)
As seen in:
Gizmodo,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
MSN Ireland,
MSN UK,
Daily Mail,
WIRED Magazine,
Bustle,
Flipboard,
Yahoo,
Inverse
and
Covers:
Technology and culture.
Reporter ~ Writer ~ Working On It. Senior writer @Gizmodo. Former editor @inversedotcom Laptop Mag (RIP) and Input (also RIP)
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Freelancing for Backstage. Also, learning how to make coffee.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No, but thought I had yellow fever once.
How is social media changing news?
What is news anymore, anyway?
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
If I say Clark Kent do I lose?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Waking up early, working late, repeat.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Often and thoroughly.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Pen, paper, coffee.
What's your favorite social network?
The one that lets me voice my opinion the most.
Who do you wish followed you?
Jeff Jensen or alternatively, Emily Nussbaum. Does "Fraggle Rock" have a Twitter account?
Why did you become a journalist?
Naïveté.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I read it once.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I once compiled data from the Environmental Working Group's Food Scores database. That's the closest I've ever been to passing a math class.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
What's that REALLY popular "Frozen" song?
When's the best time to pitch you?
How many hours are in a day?
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Chemtrails.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I got hit with one while playing wiffle ball in my backyard once.
What's your favorite drink?
Ones that make me feel smarter.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Prying my eyes off of my television.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Vulture, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
It's actually plausible to carve a career out in.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.