Jason Kaufman
As seen in:
PNAS,
Law360,
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,
The Art Newspaper,
The National Law Review,
Bisnow,
Mondaq,
Washington Jewish Week
Covers:
Arts and the culture sector, particularly museums, architecture, art history, photography, policy issues, the art market, collecting, and art world leaders.
Doesn't Cover:
Consumer products and hospitality industry news.
The former Chief U.S. Correspondent for The Art Newspaper, Jason Kaufman's criticism and reporting have appeared in numerous publications.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Freelance art critic for the defunct New York City Tribune. Found them in the Yellow Pages and they paid me $50/article.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Absolutely, and I cut and pasted with scissors and scotch tape.
How is social media changing news?
By facilitating manipulation of the truth, enabling substitution of opinion and falsehood for fact.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
The only one I can think of is Cary Grant in Roman Holiday. I envy his posting and ability to negotiate, but not his deceptiveness.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To expand and share one's knowledge in the service of the reader.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
With brief emails that include an image and a link to more information.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use Office for Mac, and edit my photos in Lightrroom.
What's your favorite social network?
Loath them all, but I dip into FB and Twitter.
Who do you wish followed you?
Artists, museum directors and curators, and fellow critics and writers.
Why did you become a journalist?
I entered the profession in the late 1980s, after grad school.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I covered sports for my high school paper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
In the 1990s I created the first annual surveys of US museums' acquisitions and executive salaries, and they were of great interest.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Inherit or marry well.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time, by email.
What's your favorite drink?
Cold water. And less frequently red wine or cognac.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Central Park.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the writer pens the headlines.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.