What was your first job as a journalist?
English Editor of an Eastern European magazine, it's now defunct.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, and used it regularly to hand in assignments as an undergrad.
How is social media changing news?
Journalists are now responsible for promoting their employer, didn't we used to have large marketing departments?
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Does it mean anything more than any other job?
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I don't use hashtags. I prefer to print and physically tag documents by hand.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
3-4 paragraphs to provide some context.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Temi, Grammarly, Adobe's suite of software, Microsoft Word, and occasionally Microsoft Excel.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook, but I still have MySpace.
Who do you wish followed you?
Jane Jacobs, but Twitter didn't exist in her time.
Why did you become a journalist?
The ability to learn about anything and everything while getting paid for it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. I had enough assignments to write.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The one I'm working on right now. If I won't be proud of it, I won't do it.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't do it.
When's the best time to pitch you?
6-9 am. Make sure it's in my inbox by the time I wake up, otherwise it won't be read the same day.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A museum gallery opening. It was something they knew I'd like.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Many. From sending them to me in the wrong language or not reading my interests before reaching out.
What's your favorite drink?
Water.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In a museum, on the road, or at a supermarket.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
For fun? Deutsche Welle, Frankfurter Allgemeine, or Süddeutsche Zeitung. Sometimes Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
My friends think travel writing and covering events is all fun and games, but I'm beat after a long day of interviews and weeks of research.
