Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing film reviews for a company I worked at for 7 1/2 years.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Learned to type on a typewriter and still find a certain level of comfort and pleasure in using one from time to time.
How is social media changing news?
Making it more immediate and instant but also skewing it at times and not always in the best way.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Sue Grafton.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
That I can create and/or share thoughts, ideas, positions, stories in a responsible and honest way without fear of repercussion.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Nothing springs to mind.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
In person.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Just a computer, word processor or typewriter, depending upon what mood I am in.
What's your favorite social network?
I like Facebook mostly because it has enabled me to reconnect with a lot of past acquaintances who have moved far away. Catching up is always
Who do you wish followed you?
Nobody comes instantly to mind.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because 60 years ago as a very young child, I was mesmerized by what Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen did for work.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I was not selected.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My best-selling autobiography, "Was That a Name I Dropped?"
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write daily, even if it's not for publication. You'll find immense satisfaction, personally, if you spend at least an hour, daily, writing.
When's the best time to pitch you?
1 - 3 PM.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
From actress-singer Doris Day. "You know more about me than I do. Why not share it..."
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
To write someone's life story but knowing they would not be honest in what they shared thus negating the purpose of writing it.
What's your favorite drink?
Coca Cola (sometimes with a splash of rum)
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Either outside walking or sitting at the piano.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I cannot take constructive criticism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.