What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing for The Oracle, my high school newspaper in Armonk, N.Y.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I wish my laptop made the same sound as clacking keys.
How is social media changing news?
It's led to reduced standards, the dangerous proliferation of the use of anonymous sources, & stories published before they're ready to be.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Carl Bernstein.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Low and outside. And not by people who pretend in their pitch to have known me for years and to be familiar with my byline when they're not.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A laptop, Microsoft Word, Constant Contact, a pen and pad, a phone, shoe leather, and my incredible charm.
What's your favorite social network?
To tell the truth I prefer anti-social networks.
Who do you wish followed you?
Everyone I went to high school with, syndicators, and the opinion page editors of every publication in the country.
Why did you become a journalist?
For the money, the fame, the power, and the women. . . Those of you in journalism will get that. The rest of you may not.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. I started at the bottom and ended up one of four editors of the Byram Hills Oracle in Armonk, NY.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
9/11 -- and I hope never to have to cover any part of a story like that again.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Learn your craft, seek out a mentor, take pride in what you do, and for Pete's sake don't be in a rush to get famous.
When's the best time to pitch you?
When it's bottom of the inning and no men are on base.
What's your favorite drink?
Canada Dry Tom Collins Mix on ice.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Out meeting with sources, gathering news or searching for a good, hot, corned beef sandwich.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the people who cover it (U.S. politics) actually know something about what they are writing about.
