What was your first job as a journalist?
Heh. Volunteering for a high school paper. Really, I was an essayist.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
When I was a child, my mother was a secretary and my father a businessman. I remember when her new electric typewriter was exciting!
How is social media changing news?
Thanks to social media, journalists are now in echo chambers. The profession is now less self-aware than it was 150 years ago.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Tintin
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A good journalist breaks ground. Too many reporters are repeating what they think is popular, censoring themselves in the process.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I haven't seen funny news hashtag in years. Twitter only deals in fake outrage. Twitterati are like cartoon Puritans for their causes.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
MS Word. Google Scholar. I subscribe to some journals in education, social work, and philosophy.
What's your favorite social network?
I dislike the echo chambers of social media. That said? I listen on Twitter, and communicate on Telegram.
Who do you wish followed you?
Education Ministers, Premiers, Governors, and School Boards
Why did you become a journalist?
I needed to speak for my organization. The best way to do that was researched opinion. Calling me a journalist flatters me.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I wrote essays for my underground high school paper. There was no official one.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
"The most successful political party in Canada is a Teachers' Union." https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/hilton-obrien-the-most-successful-political-party-in-canada-is-a-teachers-union/article_1ba40c22-56f9-11ed-ae26-7bbc4d7303c6.html
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Hungry for more than a meal ticket? Find the dominant position on social issues in your newsroom - and take the contradictory idea. Hard.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Late morning MST
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"Look - Islamic jurists and mullahs have put out a formal document to correct those that claim Islam supports transgenderism. Link here."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
"Can I write an article about this product for your website?"
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I give a lot of talks, presentations, and workshops.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Unherd. In-depth articles that do the research and aren't afraid to disagree with popular ideas. Their essayists are aware of their biases.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Lots of claims are made about human rights by people with no expertise in the field. I am an *actual* expert. Truly annoying.
