What was your first job as a journalist?
Assignment Editor - KCOY/KKFX Television in Santa Maria, CA.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I love typewriters! I occasionally write my personal notes on typewriters, because they are much more intimate than electronic type.
How is social media changing news?
Social media is allowing citizens to be part of the journalism discussion. For the first time, the people get to say what is truly important
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Journalists are the fourth estate - in these tumultuous times, ours is the educational voice of reason and advocacy.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
- always one of my favorites. Yes, these things probably did get said in a newsroom.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
E-mail is probably the best way to get pitched on stories. I would even respond to pitches or questions on Twitter.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter, by far. Through Twitter, I can immediately interact with my network over what is happening right now.
Who do you wish followed you?
I would say Charles Osgood, but he is more of a radio man. I'd be honored to be followed by Jason Clampet at Skift.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to use electronic media to tell stories that mattered to my community, and truly fulfill the vision of Edward R. Murrow.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Instead of writing for the newspaper, I hosted a news magazine about my high school on the local public access channel.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Working on the Michael Jackson Trial in 2008 was a trial by fire - but it was one I was grateful to be part of.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
No matter what: keep writing. People will question you, bring you down, and outright attack you. Despite the odds, just keep writing.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I'm more apt to read pitches before 12 Noon Eastern Time than afterwards. If I get it before Noon, I can usually respond same-day.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
My favorite pitch is one that I actually fought for: covering the final opening of the TWA Flight Center at JFK for FlyerTalk.com.
What's your favorite drink?
Coca-Cola - because coffee is much too traditional of a beverage for journalists.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Probably on a golf course. Although with smartphones, I'm never far away from a computer anymore.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I read Skift for their in-depth coverage of the travel industry as a whole, as well as The New York Times' "What We're Reading" e-mail.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Travel writers just fly on airplanes all day. As much as I wish that were true, there is still a lot of traditional journalism to be had.
