What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing, Xeroxing and distributing a sports newsletter about my neighborhood when I was 9 -- a nickel a copy.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Absolutely. I was a master at using two-color ribbons and WhiteOut.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Tintin
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To make use of its skills to evoke truths that cannot be seen.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer to pick up random ideas while working on other stories.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
An iPhone, a Dell laptop, Microsoft Word and Outlook
What's your favorite social network?
FaceTime -- and failing that, 3-D human interaction.
Who do you wish followed you?
Gordon "Red" Berenson
Why did you become a journalist?
I used to teach English, but after grading and commenting on several thousand essays, I realized I might rather *write* it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was co-editor in chief, with one Jeffrey Brinker, of the St. Louis Country Day News.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
"Divine Strength," on Grayson Gilbert; "Half a Century Later," about Cambridge, Md., and "You're Missin' a Great Game" with Whitey Herzog.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be versatile and learn to create journalism on every platform
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A desperate plea to cover the Delmarva Chicken Festival, the last one ever held
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A string of angry demands from an affluent landowner to cover zoning issues that affected him personally
What's your favorite drink?
Coke with ice out of a 10-ounce can
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Watching my daughter ride at the horse farm, helping her with math, throwing a miniature tennis ball for our miniature Yorkie-poo, Barkley
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Hagerstown Town and Country Almanack
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Probably that I actually have a single beat.
