Freelance multimedia journalist @NYDailyNews; formerly @Law360, @ALReporter, @Poynter fellow at @ReligionMag, @GroundTruth and @longislandpatch.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
A campus happenings column for the local Patch site during undergrad
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
Rapidly
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Howard Beale and his timeless rant
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A commitment to truth seeking and a belief in the power of storytelling. At our best, the antidote to ignorance and its resulting evils.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
With some reporting done already
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Adobe Premiere, Photoshop
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Ted Danson
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I think about everything journalistically
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?
Currently in the works, ask me later
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't try to look and sound like what you think a journalist looks and sounds like. Nurture your own voice and style, but maintain humility.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Beginning of the week.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A story about people using unusual and clever gardening practices.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A woman from our sales department asked me to do a story on a dental office that had bought a large ad. I declined.
What's your favorite drink?
Your finest IPA
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Around the most unique people I can find.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That people exposed to extremes like crime, punishment and war are defined by those experiences; that they are not complex and relatable.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
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