John Fey
As seen in:
BUCKSCO.Today,
Omaha World-Herald,
NewsBreak,
Rapid City Journal,
Ex Bulletin,
DELCO Today,
Montco Today,
Philadelphia Today,
VISTA Today
Covers:
All topics that can be written about.
Doesn't Cover:
There is nothing I won't cover.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first official job is the one I currently hold as a reporter and photographer for Levittown Now.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Once, never for actually writing a paper.
How is social media changing news?
It is killing printed news, which has its pros and cons, and it is making news more readily available, which is great.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Mikael Blomkvist from the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. A hard news writter that is unafraid of taking major risks.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a supplier of information for the common man and woman.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
#CareerEndingTwitterTypos, where people made a grammatical error that ending up being worse than they could have imagined.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
A list emailed to me on all the info needed.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Gmail, Google Docs, Muck Rack.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram. Very underutilized by journalists, more interactive than other media sites.
Who do you wish followed you?
Joby Warrick, James O'Keefe, Bob Woodward, Louis Theroux
Why did you become a journalist?
To write stories every day and to spread news.
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 article on the final debate between Scott Wallace and Brian Fitzpatrick.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep showing up, keep saying yes, keep your people skills a priority. Enjoy being a workaholic.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time of day, but I prefer first thing in the morning.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
To interview Scott Wallace and Brian Fitzpatrick
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A start-up for a website that offers products for people on a ketogenic diet. Far fetched and never came to fruition.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee, black or with coconut milk.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
My full time job, reading a book, or at Temple University.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I'm a fluff piece journalist because I've done many sit-down interviews with people.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.