Kathryn McKenzie
Verified
(She/Her)
As seen in:
The Mercury News,
The News & Observer,
The State,
Santa Cruz Sentinel,
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer,
Rock Hill Herald,
The Telegraph (Macon),
The Monterey County Herald,
Merced Sun-Star,
Monterey County Now
and
Covers:
Environment, health, food, Central California issues
Writer/editor/author; specializing in health and the environment. Co-author of "Humbled: How California's Monterey Bay Escaped Industrial Ruin"
Interview
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, but not since college.
How is social media changing news?
The news cycle is so much faster now and every story breeds other multiple stories quickly as the result of social media.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Could not live without Google Docs and my iPhone.
What's your favorite social network?
Ok, so I'm old school ... Facebook.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I was the editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Writing about my father-in-law's death in 2017, which he chose using California's new End of Life Option Act.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be curious, read everything, ask questions, keep writing!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Evenings are best but email only.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
From my co-author on "Humbled," who said, "We should write about how a proposed oil refinery changed Monterey Bay history."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
There have been so many, it's hard to pick one.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the garden or hiking.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That environmental concerns are not that important, or don't affect everyone.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.