What was your first job as a journalist?
News clerk on the Metro desk of the New York Times.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Does a Brother electronic typewriter with a correction strip count? Then yes. Until I was 13, when we finally got a computer.
How is social media changing news?
It's the only place to go when something's breaking. The 24-hour news networks just can't keep up.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Edwidge Danticat
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To stand slightly apart, observing. Looking for details others may not catch.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
A one-line nut graf telling me why this is a story worth telling.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
CCI, Wordpress, Scoop
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook. It's my favorite outlet for aggregating news that sets my hair on fire.
Who do you wish followed you?
Nick Kristof already does, so no one.
Why did you become a journalist?
To elevate the ignored stories. They're often ignored because people in power want it that way. “News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising.”
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, but I edited the culture section of my college paper, The Hunter Envoy.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
In 2005, during my first semester of journalism school, I profiled an Army recruiter for the City section of the Times. It made the front.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Make strong friendships. You'll need them.
