Lisa Graves
East Coast United States, Madison
As seen in:
HuffPost,
The Spectator,
Neurology,
Pittsburgh City Paper,
Annals of Family Medicine,
LA Progressive,
Canadian Family Physician
Covers:
our democracy, economy, and environment
Doesn't Cover:
foreign affairs, celebrities
Join me on threads @thelisagraves
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first job as a journalist was as a reporter and columnist for my high school newspaper The Pirateer.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
yes ... and correction fluid.
How is social media changing news?
People are consuming more stories described as news and thinking they are more informed, but some are addicted to CEO-fueled disinformation.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report and also Chloe Sullivan in Smallville
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To seek out the facts about what's happening in our country and share those stories with our world.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Short and to the point: why the story matters and what the key facts are that show what's going on.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Too many to name.
What's your favorite social network?
FB, despite its flaws
Who do you wish followed you?
Oprah
Why did you become a journalist?
I love doing research about what's happening in our world, who's doing what and why, and getting the documented facts into the debate.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I reported on the school and city and wrote I column. I also helped with the layouts and writing headlines to fit the space.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I spearheaded the launch of the ALECexposed investigation and that research work has aided or spurred thousands of stories about politics.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Do not get sucked into the PR track at your university.
When's the best time to pitch you?
by email any time
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The first one about ALEC....
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I get useless pitches from PR firms every week peddling their clients for comment, especially after a disaster or crisis. They're the worst.
What's your favorite drink?
ice water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
singing
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Vanity Fair
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the corruption we are seeing in the Capitol and in states across the country is just politics as usual and can't be changed--it can be.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.