What was your first job as a journalist?
ghostwriter and researcher for a book by Ralph Nader
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Published over 200 pieces pounded out on a 1920's Royal
How is social media changing news?
Now news is a dialog...not a monologue.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Jimmy Olsen
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email to jayalansamit@gmail.com
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
laptop and Ice tea.
Who do you wish followed you?
More senators who could influence policy.
Why did you become a journalist?
I love being around smart people who are changing our world and sharing their vision.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
An editor of the UCLA Daily Bruin. Won Society of Professional Journalists' highest award for Spot News coverage
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
In 2011, I wrote a piece predicting that social media would determine who becomes President of the United States....unfortunately I was right
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't give up your day job.
When's the best time to pitch you?
early morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
From a billionaire "I have enough money to cure cancer, but what good would that do?"
What's your favorite drink?
Ice Tea, I'm not H.L. Mencken or Hunter S. Thompson
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Performing at the Magic Castle in Hollywood
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic Monthly
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I focus on disruptive technologies. I care more about impact than bits & bytes.
