Editor, Roundtable Sports. Working with a team of journalists covering Florida Gators, FSU, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Rays.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Copy editor, local news, Hudson Dispatch (covered Jersey City, Union City, Bayonne)
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
In terrifying ways, I'm afraid. Websites and social platforms with agendas to spread and minus fact-checking rigor.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Denzel in Pelican Brief
What does it mean to be a journalist?
An editor told Robert Caro: "Turn the page. Turn every fucking page."
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. Show me in a few paragraphs what you want to report on, who you will talk to.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I hire writers, videographers, illustrators, photographers. We engage with SEO consultants. So all those tools affect my work life.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Obama
Why did you become a journalist?
Way back then, I wanted to watch sports for a living. As I grew up, I wanted to hold the powerful accountable.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked for the high school yearbook and wrote photo captions
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The death of Terry Schiavo for its sensitivity and its contribution to changing a newsroom culture to web-first
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be platform-fluent, be curious, read journalism and literature, put your energy into research and reporting, appreciate the rewriting
When's the best time to pitch you?
During the work day
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Development's historical ill effects on Florida beaches and the regular stream of dollars required to renourish them
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The pitches that can be reported without leaving the house
What's your favorite drink?
Iced tea (unsweetened)
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outdoors
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NYTimes, Post, New Yorker, Heather Cox Richardson, Preet Bharara and Michael Lewis podcasts, Tampa Bay Times, Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
My current beat (travel) can be pretty sweet. But keep your many audiences in mind -- travelers with disabilities, LGBTQ+, people of color
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.