Josh Butler
Verified
As seen in:
The Guardian Australia,
Medium,
MSN,
MSN Australia,
MSN Ireland,
MSN UK,
HuffPost,
The Guardian,
Yahoo Canada,
Yahoo News Malaysia,
Yahoo News New Zealand
and
Covers:
Crime, emergency services, some arts and entertainment
Doesn't Cover:
Everything else
Political reporter & COS @GuardianAus - send memes & tips: DMs open • josh.butler@theguardian.com • secure: joshbutler.journalist@protonmail.com •
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Interning at a fashion magazine. I had no idea what I was doing.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Nope.
How is social media changing news?
It's moving the goalposts; "who can be the first to post something?" rather than "who can be the first to get it right?"
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Max Connors (Seachange)
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Truth, accuracy, independence, respect for and knowledge of your audience
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
In descending order: email, mail, phone, social media
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Pen, notepad, shorthand, voice recorder, Google Docs, Twitter/FB, notes on phone
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Twitter: Obama. Real life: nobody.
Why did you become a journalist?
To write for a living.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes; sports editor, somehow...
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Series of stories on homelessness and housing in the Illawarra
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Build experience as soon as possible; write for school newspapers, websites, blogs, even your own blog. Just get work published asap!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Email: at night, so I can read it at home or first thing at the office. Phone: never at deadline.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.