Julia Vargas Jones
Verified
(She/Her)
Los Angeles
As seen in:
CNN,
Facebook,
CNN Business,
CNN en Español,
CNN International,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
Yahoo News,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC)
and
Correspondent @CNN
Brazilian 🇧🇷 ✨
@ColumbiaJourn alum
Guria de Porto Alegre
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a freelance reporter for a weekly in a Mohawk community and produced talk radio at CJAD in Montreal.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes! My mother had many from when she ran a company in the 80s.
How is social media changing news?
It already has and it will continue as more disruptive sm are introduced.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
MacKenzie McHale.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be trusted to tell the story and to live up to those expectations.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Brief email with lots of links to background
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Lots of googling.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Glenn Greenwald...
Why did you become a journalist?
I only turned to journalism after studying Sociology for two years and realizing I could make more of impact in the world through that way.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
There was no paper at my high school, but I did write a newsletter on my own for upcoming events, interviews with teachers and speakers
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
CNN story on deaths by gun violence vs terrorism.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write as much as you can, and be open to criticism from expercienced journos. Get a mentor.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime
What's your favorite drink?
Gin & Tonic
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my couch watching HBO or reading on my iPad.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic, New Yorker, BuzzFeed
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That Latin America stories and their characters are one-dimensional. Tropes include: poor woman/immigrant, corrupt official, beach
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.