Natalie Hanson
Verified
(She/Her)
As seen in:
The Vallejo Sun,
MSN,
Washington Post Opinions,
SFGate,
Flipboard,
TechRadar,
The Mercury News,
Poynter Online,
The Orange County Register,
The Sacramento Bee,
Industry Insider
and
Covers:
Politics, civil litigation, California and general Oakland and East Bay Area news.
Business+agriculture journo @northbaynews -probably up to📚🌲🧶🎶| Stories @thevallejosun @ChicoSolNews | Known @courthousenews @marinij @chicoer @theorion_news
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a daily news anchor for the daily newscast at my high school (Chico High School)
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Of course! In High school
How is social media changing news?
It changes how stories can be told and discovered, often changing how people receive and perceive the news available
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hildy Johnson of "His Girl Friday"
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means holding authority accountable, reporting the truth and upholding the ethical practices of journalism to preserve integrity.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer emails with enough sourcing and some legwork already done to specifically pitch a well-focused story
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
InDesign, Camayak, WordPress, SNO, Illustrator and more
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Somini Senguputa at NY Times
Why did you become a journalist?
I have always avidly loved reading, stories and writing every day. Journalism allows me to tell and discover new stories every single day.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes! I began as a news anchor before becoming the managing editor of the online publication
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Collaborating in Camp Fire coverage during the November wildfire that displaced over 20,000 people in Butte County.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
There are stories everywhere. Talk to and meet more people and get on the ground. Your community is full of stories that need to be told.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime! Preferably 8-10 am and after 5 pm on weekday evenings
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Is the public university building unsafe halls and destroying old ones, exposing students to asbestos?
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Pitch - a feature on covering local wrestlers . They are involved and employed with these wrestlers and just wanted to meet the competition
What's your favorite drink?
A dirty toffee chai with almond milk and extra espresso
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outdoors hopefully at a story or organizing coverage of another one!
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we report on local issues and controversies like the Camp Fire only to get attention and clips
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.