What was your first job as a journalist?
Police and Courts Reporter at The (Ames) Tribune, Mid-Iowa's Pulitzer Prize-winning Newspaper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I've even used a manual typewriter. I like antiques.
How is social media changing news?
It's disintermediating the flow of information from newsmakers to the public. Now journalists have to be more than the messenger.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Spider Jerusalem.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Find the facts. Tell the truth. Read the records. Analyze the data. Ask questions. Insist on answers. That's a journalist.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I like email, but really don't like email about things I'd never write about. Like how cool your new widget is.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
At my desk: MySQL, Postgres, Ruby, Python, Excel and my MacBook Pro and. In my pocket: my iPhone , the Tascam app and my reporter's notebook.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter. Definitely Twitter. Followed by Goolge+.
Who do you wish followed you?
, , ,
Why did you become a journalist?
Because it's the most fun you can have getting paid to save the world. Plus the high pay and reasonable hours.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I was a founder and the managing editor of The Bagel. The name was an homage to The Daily Bugle and a daily staple of our school lunches
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm most proud of unearthing the fact that even years after 9/11 a short-staffed FBI had abandoned the investigation of traditional crime.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Get comfortable with data and public records. Practice asking impertinent questions. Pledge your heart to the cause of truth.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Before 10 a.m. Central Time. After that I'm either deep in code or deep in a story.
