What was your first job as a journalist?
Covering HS football & wrestling for Main Line Times while still in high school.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, when I was a temp secretary, never in a news room
How is social media changing news?
Adding one more knowledge set to be examined with professional skepticism. Who's information is trustworthy?
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Moby-Dick's Ishmael: And I alone am escaped to tell thee.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be an eyewitness with a special responsibility to convey what you saw and heard as accurately as you can.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I rarely see much humor in hashtags
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
phone, voice to voice
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Macbook, Nagra Ares with sennheiser and beyer microphones, reporter's notebook & ball point pen.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook, boring as that seems
Who do you wish followed you?
Top table opinion formers like Brooks, Dionne and Friedman who have grown too comfortable inside the bubble and need some fresh insights.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I always wanted to be the first to know stuff and more important, wanted to be the first to tell people about it.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was features editor of the Harriton Forum
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Reporting the Iraq War through the life of Ahmad Shawkat in Ahmad's War: Inside Out & the subsequent book of the same title.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
When the story is good, don't ask permission, just do it.
