What was your first job as a journalist?
The Delta Democrat Times in Greenville, Mississippi.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, a manual typewriter that you had to pound the keys on to get results.
How is social media changing news?
It is creating a lot of doubt in the public's mind.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Raul Duke
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Community engagement, fact-checking, and research. research. research, and active listening.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Notebooks (the handheld kind), 2 ink pens, one pencil, a recording device, a camera, and Google Docs.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Hunter S. Thompson
Why did you become a journalist?
It was a total accident that I became a reporter, but once I was on the job, I realized it was the job I was meant to do.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
no
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story about a young man who was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Washington County, Mississippi.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Take notes, record the interviews, always show interest in the person you're talking to, and save everything.
When's the best time to pitch you?
9 a.m.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I try not to judge stories like that.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I try not to judge a story that way.
What's your favorite drink?
coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In a city council or board of supervisors meeting.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NewsWeek
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
City council meetings are often considered boring and unimportant.
