John Torres
Verified
As seen in:
Florida Today,
Holistic Women's Health,
MSN,
Yahoo Life,
USA Today,
Yahoo News,
Aol,
The Daily Beast,
Detroit Free Press,
Flipboard,
Yahoo Sports Canada
and
Covers:
Criminal Justice and wrongful convictions
News columnist for @Florida_Today -reporter/narrator for Murder on the Space Coast @321murder - keyboardist for @the_hemingways. #amwriting #podcasting
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Cop reporter for the weekly newspaper "The Enterprise" in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes....but not for a while!
How is social media changing news?
It has put a new urgent need for immediacy on the industry resulting in sometimes careless reporting.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Mikael Blomkvist from the Stieg Larsson books.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means everything to me. i don't care if it sounds corny, I love being a voice for the voiceless.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Definitely with an e-mail.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Now that I am podcasting a lot, I would be lost without my macbook and my scarlett audio interface.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Keith Morrison and Jon Krakauer
Why did you become a journalist?
Because i couldn't hit a curveball. Seriously though, because it is the best job in the world to shine a light in dark places.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I wrote profiles of students who were in rock bands.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
William Dillon credited me for helping secure his release from prison after 28 years of wrongful incarceration.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Learn every skill you can from video to writing to editing audio.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Someone called me and said I just read your story about the man being released from prison. We can't let that happen, she said. "He raped me"
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Hand-written letters in all caps get tossed in the trash immediately. They hurt my eyes.
What's your favorite drink?
Bombay Sapphire with tonic and touch of cranberry juice
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Acting on a stage.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I'm a sports nut so I like to read Bleacher Report and Espn.com
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
People assume they know how I feel about certain issues without speaking with me.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.