What was your first job as a journalist?
I covered social welfare for the Kansas News Service, a public radio collaborative looking at statewide issues. I was based in Topeka.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes! I have an old Royal at my parents' house that I used it to write most of my papers in grade school.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Adobe Audition for audio editing, other Adobe tools (Photoshop, Premiere), Nexis and PACER for research, most social media for...social media
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm deeply interested in people – their motivations, their dreams, how they work with their circumstances – and as a reporter, I get to ask.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I wrote one story for my high school paper, then transferred out of the journalism class and took French instead.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A lot of my foster care stories from Kansas, especially one on overwhelmed residential mental health facilities.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone pitched me "What's going on in (city where we were located)." A pitch's job is to answer that question, not pose it!
What's your favorite drink?
Hot apple cider, especially the sort of cloudy, spiced stuff that seems to only crop up around the holidays.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
A library, probably. Or an art museum, if admission is free. Or walking/taking public transit between the two.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
ProPublica, The Atlantic, The Ringer, Texas Monthly...I also subscribe to a truly insane number of email newsletters from local/nat'l outlets
