Michael Lanigan
Verified
As seen in:
Dublin Inquirer,
The Guardian,
The Irish Times,
TheJournal.ie,
JOE.ie,
JOE,
Her.ie,
Business Post,
Tokyo Weekender,
Hot Press,
HeadStuff
and
Arts & Culture @DublinInquirer / Features @TotallyDublin / Bylines @Vice @HuckMagazine @TheJournal_ie @Guardian @businessposthq
Michael@DublinInquirer.com
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Newsdesk internship at Hot Press.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Once, because I didn't have my laptop. My fingers hurt.
How is social media changing news?
It's fantastic if you want to source an interview.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Simon Ross in the Bourne Ultimatum.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To tell the truth.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Via email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, Audacity and anything that plays .wav recordings. The guys in the laptop shop don't have a lot of fun when I come in.
What's your favorite social network?
YouTube.
Who do you wish followed you?
I used to think about this, but it's just a distraction.
Why did you become a journalist?
I exhausted all my friends with stories about how great X was, or how interesting Y will be. Eventually, I needed a new set of ears.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked for my college newspaper, if that counts. I was the online features editor. Other than that, I just wrote features.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A longread on Vicky Phelan, Stephen Teap and the CervicalCheck scandal.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't go into a story with your conclusion already written. The real outcome is always so much better.
When's the best time to pitch you?
When the idea has been developed a little.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A two-part interview with people living on either side of the US-Mexican border.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I received an unsolicited manuscript about how fog lights irritated a person so much. 750 words. I read it three times.
What's your favorite drink?
Coca Cola or coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
The cinema.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Phoenix Magazine.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
"They're all liars and crooks."
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.