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News reporter at @TRIBLive. Covering crime and communities in @Pittsburgh. Verified news, context and behind-the-scenes reporting. #FourthEstate

Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

Beat reporter, The Coast Star, a weekly in Manasquan, NJ

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes.

How is social media changing news?

Speeding it up, same way cable news did a generation ago

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

The guy from "Shipping News."

What does it mean to be a journalist?

To seek truth, and write well.

What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?

N/A

How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?

By e-mail at justinvellucci@gmail.com

What tools and software do you use to do your job?

Pen and paper, sometimes some sort of recording equipment, and, in this modern age, a laptop.

What's your favorite social network?

Facebook

Who do you wish followed you?

David Remnick or Luc Sante

Why did you become a journalist?

2002

Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?

Worked for college newspaper, where I served as Editor-In-Chief for two years, and contributed news, feature, arts and opinion copy

What story are you most proud of writing or working on?

Varies. "The next one."

What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?

Advice from my mentor: don't go into journalism

When's the best time to pitch you?

Anytime. E-mail's always open.

What's the best pitch you ever got?

N/A

What's the worst pitch you ever got?

N/A

What's your favorite drink?

Coffee

When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?

At a computer

Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?

The New Yorker

What's the most common misperception about your beat?

That I have a beat

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