Pamela Rider
(She/Her)
Queens
Covers:
Grand openings, street renaming, food insecurities, food pantries, community activism, anniversaries...things of that nature. For the most part, upbeat or enriching.
Doesn't Cover:
Death and abuse.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Community Beat Reporting
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
Social media has changed news consumption and is surpassing TV as the top news source in the US, and is growing rapidly in other countries.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent and Lois Lane
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Being an ethical, objective, and professional journalist has many rewarding attributes. Being able to report accurate information is key!
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
A baby elephant at the Oregon Zoo plays ball with a pumpkin.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Flourish Studio, Scatterplot graph, Canva, Perplexity, Grammarly, Microsoft Spreadsheets, Google Workspace, and Shorthand.
What's your favorite social network?
YouTube, X, TikTok.
Who do you wish followed you?
Tamron Hall
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist to share the good in the world and to be a tool for others to share their voices.
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?
Street renamed after a trailblazing female firefighter.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
You have to be passionate about your work and networking with publishing agencies to have your work exposed/published.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mon.-Sun. 9 am-6 pm
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitch I ever received came from a fashion window dressing designer, who was pitching for an expression of her community.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I want you to cover a murder/ homicide story.
What's your favorite drink?
Water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
That depends on what's on my agenda. Networking at various locations with various individuals.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Queens Ledger/Observer
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
The most common misconception about my beat is that we just want to be intrusive and cause conflicts.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.