What was your first job as a journalist?
Education writer for the Kingsport Times-News.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Oh yeah.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Jack Burden.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To objectively and thoroughly investigate important issues, then shed light on them in a way that is fair to subjects and clear to audiences.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email me salient bullet points, then text me and tell me who you are and that you'd like me to review a possible story.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Canon 70D DSLR. Audio recorder with transcription. Premiere. Wordpress. On rare occasions, an ink pen and paper. Macs and PCs.
What's your favorite social network?
Texting with my friends and loved ones.
Why did you become a journalist?
I was an English major who needed more action. I've always been an idealist with a detached, observational side.
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?
Currently, all aspects surrounding the criminal case against Sean Williams and alleged corruption/incompetence of the Johnson City PD.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Are you sure you want to do this?
When's the best time to pitch you?
Between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Pretty much anything in which family members are convinced of the newsworthiness of their loved one's insert special talent here...
What's your favorite drink?
Limeade.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On a trail.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Economist.
