Joanna Booth
Covers:
Local democracy, higher education, knitting, Bristol books, book reviews
Doesn't Cover:
fashion
🇬🇷🇦🇺 Researching care-engaged young people and access to higher education.
Zen Buddhist. Mother. Married to Martin.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
copy editor at New Europe.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
That's something I'm currently researching -- there are some stories I've broken that the mainstream media just won't touch.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means to hold the centres of power to account.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is fine.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, video camera, wordpress site, pen and paper.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Why did you become a journalist?
To uncover things that were hidden or not spoken about.
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?
Two stories about the same topic -- the mayor of Bristol's link to the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, and Bristol housing.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Find a story you love and that people just have to know about. You will then have every incentive to make it readable and fascinating.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time. I'm a freelancer working around my kids' schedules and my editing work.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I've yet to have a bad pitch for paid work but plenty of ones for writing without payment.
What's your favorite drink?
Earl grey rooibos.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
knitting or doing F45
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Media Lens
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That local stories are boring. Local stories are what it's all about and where people have the power to make a difference.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.