Merryn Johns
Verified
(She/Her)
As seen in:
Curve Magazine,
News.com.au,
Slate,
Vanity Fair,
New Zealand Herald,
The Daily Telegraph,
The Herald Sun,
The Northern Star (AU),
Daily Mercury,
Gatton, Lockyer & Brisbane Valley Star,
QT - The Queensland Times
and
Covers:
International breaking news, arts and entertainment, travel, women's rights, LGBTQ rights
Editor @therealcurve; Digital Producer @newscorp; Publisher @vacationermag; Co-chair @DorianAwards theater
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
20 years ago during Australia's rainbow media revolution.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. Manuel and electric.
How is social media changing news?
Initially, for the worse, and now, for the better.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I am the lovechild of Hildy Johnson and Mikael Blomkvist.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Listen. Think. Dig. Write. Edit. Share. Worry incessantly about injustice and untruths and use language to address imbalances.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Gently. And once might just be enough.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Too many programs to mention but I always have a pen and paper scratchpad to jot down ideas.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram. Pretty pictures.
Who do you wish followed you?
Christiane Amanpour.
Why did you become a journalist?
To tell the truth, to give voice to the voiceless, to articulate the unarticulated.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Cartoonist. A picture really is a thousand words.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
An investigative report on the rising number of murders of Black transgender women in the U.S.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Roll up your sleeves, sharpen your pencil, and fight for the truth.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time via email but never on Friday.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Can every type of gender and sexual preference get on a cruise ship together and have a good time? Here's your stateroom, please report back.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Probably something about erectile dysfunction but I'm sure I got a laugh out of it.
What's your favorite drink?
Champagne. Always.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In bed.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That News is always bad. That Travel is always a vacation.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.