What was your first job as a journalist?
The Guardian. I was commissioned to write on the lack of female roles for girls in school plays.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
For the worst and the best
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Fictional?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A spy
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
None
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word. Applemac.
What's your favorite social network?
I don't have one but am obliged to cover many
Who do you wish followed you?
Spielberg
Why did you become a journalist?
To investigate hidden stories.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did at London University. I was Arts Editor of a paper called Sennet.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A People Killed Twice about the Armenian genocide in The Guardian.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be curious and listen to everything that you hear on buses.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The first. It was the break.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Writing about nurseries.
What's your favorite drink?
Chablis
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At the gym or doing yoga
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I have catholic tastes.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
No idea.
