What was your first job as a journalist?
Intern with Concord Monitor (NH) sports desk during high school.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No more than treating it like a percussion instrument when I was a wee lad!
How is social media changing news?
What gets noticed seems to be driven not by quality, necessarily, but by influencers, timing, etc.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Stephen Colbert
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Passion for continual learning.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
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How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
E-mail is fine, as I'm traveling and have intermittent phone access.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Drive
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Dang, not sure.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm considering journalism as a career path; for now I'm exploring possibilities in writing and education.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Did some assignment reporting for the Middlebury College paper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Hechinger Report story on cell phones and learning.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
I'm still an aspiring journalist myself!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Whenever
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I generally don't receive pitches, as I'm doing the seeking!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Random solicitations to review education products.
What's your favorite drink?
Variations of coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Exploring neighborhoods locally and abroad with my wife.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
As a freelancer, I don't think this applies.
