Freelance Journalist based in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
As a journalist? Freelance. Actual job? Volunteer at the British Heart Foundation.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
I'm not that old.
How is social media changing news?
Often you can't tell what is and isn't real. The comments might help but it's a coin toss.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Jonathan Pie.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To inform the public on anything happening.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Not seen one.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Primarily email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
...Microsoft Word? And a cheap microphone that I attach to my mobile phone.
What's your favorite social network?
To post? LinkedIn and Facebook. To browse? Reddit.
Who do you wish followed you?
Someone. Anyone.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I like writing and becoming a sci-fi novelist is a hassle.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I posted on my university's news website, Birmingham Eastside. I did the same thing.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I'm struggling between the Parking Charges or the Walsall Leather Museum.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Get out there and try to talk to people at events, it's surprising how many contacts can be made that way.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Pitch me whenever, so long as it's on email.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Not really a pitch but the Green Party action day in Sutton Coldfield got me in quite a few places.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
You think I get pitches this early on?
What's your favorite drink?
Dihydrogen Oxide.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Ideally on this planet.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I'm boring, BBC News.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I've no idea what this means.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.