Dominique Johnson
Philadelphia
As seen in:
HuffPost,
JSTOR Daily,
Patch,
Thought Catalog,
BioRxiv,
The Mary Sue,
Nice Kicks,
WCVB-TV (Boston, MA),
Her Campus,
WESH-TV (Orlando, FL)
and
Covers:
international affairs, community news, nonprofits, college news, afterschool programs, people profiling, philadelphia
Doesn't Cover:
At the moment, I like to keep an open mind.
@ArcadiaCW MFA grad. Burned out journo. Fan of all things horror. I practice kickboxing too. Sometimes I tweet about the Walking Dead.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first real job as a journalist was covering technology and media in Philadelphia.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No, but I want to. I also would like to own one.
How is social media changing news?
Social media is allowing news to be readily available where ever a person may be.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Clark Kent
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a journalist means standing for what is right and true, and ultimately giving a voice to the voiceless.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
By email. That's the best way. Twitter is awesome too.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A recorder, an iPhone, Macbook, pen and pad.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter.
Who do you wish followed you?
Steve Lopez. I enjoyed his books and he's a good a journalist.
Why did you become a journalist?
I became a journalist to give people who have a voice the chance to be heard.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My high school did not have a newspaper, my community did. I was staff writer and eventually became Editor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The story that I am most proud of is one that centered on a young man who had just returned to his community from prison.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Stick with the profession and never give up. It's challenging, but it will pay off in the end.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Throughout the week, usually around the afternoon by email.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The best pitch I ever received revolved around a group of students in Northeast Philly who were working to better themselves.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I don't like to think anything that I'm pitched is horrible, it's just not the right fit for me or the publication.
What's your favorite drink?
Cranberry Juice
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At the movies, in the park, or hanging with my friends/fellow journalists.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I enjoy reading The Philadelphia Daily News from time to time.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I don't think I've ever had an issue with someone not fully understanding my beat, not yet anyway. However, I enjoy writing about many topics
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.