What was your first job as a journalist?
Reporter, editor, photographer, type setter, copy editor, and receptionist at The Verona-Cedar Grove times. It was a very small paper.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
In high school and college, yes. I had a 1930s Underwood manual that I used. It was a very writerly, romantic endeavor.
How is social media changing news?
It's changing the delivery methods. It's not changing the need for news. In fact, it is highlighting the need for real, good news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Oscar Madison
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means you didn't think hard enough about other fields. Ah, yeah. I'm kidding. Kind of. This isn't a normal career.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. Email only.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I don't use the Underwood anymore, but nothing fancy. Laptop, cell phone, etc.
What's your favorite social network?
Substack, TikTok
Who do you wish followed you?
Jesus? I dunno, I haven't really thought about it.
Why did you become a journalist?
I needed a job and had one marketable skill, which was I could write.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope. College newspaper, a bit. But not high school.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I started covering bitcoin in 2013, before most other mainstream reporters. It's the biggest thing I've ever covered, by far.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
This is a tough industry, but it's always been a tough industry. Attrition is a strategy. Most people eventually give up.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Does it matter? I'll read the email when I read it, not when you send it.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Not trying to be rude, but I honestly can't think of the best or worst pitch I ever got.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Same answer.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Sleeping.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Big Blue View.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I work on Wall Street, that I'm part of the market.
