Michael Hinman
(He/Him)
New York
As seen in:
NewsBreak,
Baldwin Herald,
Bellmore Herald,
East Meadow Herald,
Franklin Square-Elmont Herald,
LI Herald,
Long Beach Herald,
Lynbrook-East Rockaway Herald,
Malverne - West Hempstead Herald (NY),
Oceanside - Island Park Herald
and
Covers:
Cover the Riverdale section of the Bronx, the Rockaways in Queens, and large portions of Long Island's Nassau County.
Doesn't Cover:
The Royal Family. Unless they make a stop in Riverdale or Long Island.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I wrote sports stories for the weekly paper in my small hometown in northern Pennsylvania.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, I know I might look amazingly young, but I am actually amazingly old.
How is social media changing news?
Social media has become a tremendous resource for gaining news leads, and even finding sources — and sometimes just other voices.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Henry Hackett, Michael Keaton's character from "The Paper."
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Integrity is the only currency we have. Once we lose that, then we have nothing. We must be trusted, and we must earn that trust.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
That would require me to spend more time on Twitter. One place I don't like to be? Twitter.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email is the best way — because it gives me a chance to determine some writing style in the approach.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
InDesign, Word, Excel — all the usual.
What's your favorite social network?
I have to say Facebook, only because I'm always, always, on it.
Who do you wish followed you?
Howard Beale — only because he would never leave me alone.
Why did you become a journalist?
I didn't mean to — but I'm glad I did. I live for telling fair, honest and compelling stories, and making sure the world stays informed.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked at a newspaper while in high school, but it was the local daily newspaper, not the school one.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I had a chance to cover the failed Trump Tower Tampa in a series of stories for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Don't get into this business for the money. And make sure you find a job that lets you wake up every morning, excited to go in.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Wednesday afternoons, when the week's paper has been put to bed, and I've had a chance to catch my breath.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Once again ... picking children.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I try not to look at pitches as failures — but as starting points for some story somewhere. Although that doesn't happen all the time.
What's your favorite drink?
People in the office see me drinking Coke Zero Sugar like it's going out of style. But it would be better with some rum.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Dead.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I used to read Entertainment Weekly all the time. But now I've grown up, so it's still Entertainment Weekly.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That because it's community, it can't be exciting. Beats are as exciting as you make it.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.