What was your first job as a journalist?
Music criticism.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Of course. I am old enough to be part of the transition from typewriters to computers.
How is social media changing news?
It makes yellow journalism so much more obvious but does nothing to fix it.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Probably the staff for the NYT or the New Yorker. There is nothing real about them at all.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means to provide facts in an understandable way, something rarely done these days.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Yet another silly question.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Through email with a straightforward request.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A pen and paper is enough.
What's your favorite social network?
There are no good social networks.
Who do you wish followed you?
What a silly question.
Why did you become a journalist?
Someone had to do it and most of the people in my region collect a paycheck without providing anything worthwhile.
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?
My dissertation is more important than any of my stories.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't. If you are here to push an agenda, become an activist. If you are here to report, you'll be disappointed because no one pays for that.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime if the pitch is worth while.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I'm not sure how to measure such a thing like that.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Repeating silly questions is still silly.
What's your favorite drink?
Another silly question.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Not at a computer.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Not really applicable. My pleasure reading is not journalism.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Most journalists think they can just quote press releases and move on. Few bother to actually look at legislation or other documents.
