What was your first job as a journalist?
A reporter for The Cairo Post
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
It is changing the way readers process and choose information. It´s unlimited access to an endless stream of content is pure power.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Rene Saavedra
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To care for humanity so that we can hold each other accountable. And to struggle with what´s right at risk of losing your mind in the process
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email ( even though I´m not sure I understood the question).
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I´m a writer so I mostly rely on reporting skills. I take my own pictures when necessary, but prefer to work with photographers
What's your favorite social network?
twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Elif Batuman
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I love to write and I find people to be beautiful and fearsome beings to behold.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The story of two young Syrian men, one in Turkey and the other in Germany, building a new life as refugees.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Make lists, lots of lists, and breathe.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Always
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A profile of the crazed bread delivery men in Cairo
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I´m the one who does the pitching, so I have to say the worst is when I pitch and realize the topic has already been covered.
What's your favorite drink?
Beer
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading a book on my ipad until I have money for a Kindle
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
When people fail to see the extraordinary element of my stories and my commitment to said story.
