What was your first job as a journalist?
I covered high sports for $25 a game.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. It was how we taught keyboarding in high school.
How is social media changing news?
The Buggles observed "video killed the radio star." I believe the quest to go "viral" is killing journalism.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Sarah Jane Smith
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Save society from itself one paragraph at a time.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
There's nothing funny about a hashtag.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Microsoft Office, iPhone, pens, paper and caffeinated beverages
What's your favorite social network?
I hate social networks.
Who do you wish followed you?
Taylor Swift
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to be a superhero, but a bite from a radioactive spider just gave me a rash. I took up paragraph stacking. Made sense at the time.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Sports editor
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm proud of stories people say they expanded their empathy for others; I like any column that gets me called "snowflake."
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Consult with a mental health professional at once. Review your adverse childhood experiences and seek a career with far less heartbreak.
When's the best time to pitch you?
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
One that I actually turned into a story, so almost none.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
All of the ones that I didn't turn into stories, so most of them.
What's your favorite drink?
Diet Mountain Dew
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Traveling forward in time.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Mad Magazine
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I'm an "enemy of the people" spreading . I mean I don't even work for Fox News.
