What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering a labor dispute between the Portland District Council of Trade Unions (DCTU) and the City of Portland for NYU's The Click.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. When I was a child, my grandmother had one that I loved using. Alas, I have not yet been able to justify buying one of my own.
How is social media changing news?
So many stories are breaking on social media these days, from press releases on Twitter to whistleblowing on Instagram. It's the new normal.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Kent Brockman.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I defer to George Orwell: "Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations."
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
The
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Any pitch with a captivating idea to afflict the powerful by revealing inconvenient truths will find me wanting more.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I run Linux, but can easily use Mac/Win. email-Proton, SMS-Signal, composition-LibreOffice, audio-Reaper, video-DaVinci, video calls-Zoom.
What's your favorite social network?
X-Twitter. Coincidentally, the same as my least favorite social network.
Who do you wish followed you?
Sam Seder.
Why did you become a journalist?
In the words of Carl Bernstein, "To question authority and hold power to account.” I have found both sorely lacking in today's mediasphere.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did not.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I interviewed the effervescent Belkis Teran, mother of murdered
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
The best first step is to reach out to journalists you admire, and ask for their advice on how to make it in the current media ecosystem.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time after 2 am; the earlier, the better.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A pitch from an incarcerated worker who wanted to investigate and report on the predatory monopoly of the communications giant Securus.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A pitch from an incarcerated worker who unfortunately tried to explain the very real racism in prisons using the theories of Louis Farrakhan.
What's your favorite drink?
Bourbon. Neat.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
By turns, you'll find me with either a book or a guitar in my hands.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The American Prospect.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That "official sources" are reliable. State authorities are as biased as any other, and often much more practiced at seeding misinformation.
