Priti Patnaik
Verified
As seen in:
Geneva Health Files,
The Economic Times,
Substack,
POLITICO Europe,
Business Standard,
SWI,
Deccan Herald,
EURACTIV,
The Wire (India),
AllAfrica,
AllEvents
and
Covers:
Global Health, International Trade, Illicit Financial Flows
Journalist & Publisher. Admirer of Trees. Mum. 'Flâneuse'. GLOBAL HEALTH. Alum @NYUniversity @IHEID
Founding Editor, Geneva Health Files @FilesGeneva
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Business Standard in New Delhi, a leading financial newspaper in India. Covered politics and government finances.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes! I actually bought one about two years ago from an American expat in Geneva!
How is social media changing news?
Incredibly helpful to get curated information from my favorite fellow journalists, to keep tab on news flow across countries simultaneously.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hanne Holm in Borgen
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To keep making connections between seemingly disparate events. To listen and to go deep into the field of reporting.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Indian TV news provides non-stop entertainment. Glorious twitter handles, lots of them...
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
An informal chat over coffee is perfect. I take it as an opportunity to know more about something I may not have paid attention to.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Excel, Wordpress
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Fringe / Right Wing Lunatics
Why did you become a journalist?
Have multi-disciplinary interests, my diverse academics is proof! Felt compelled to have a stake in the political conversation around me.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. But I wrote for The Hindu's local edition in Hyderabad, India, when I was in undergrad studying microbiology, genetics & chemistry!
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
An investigative story on a FDA approved drug, later challenged in dozens of lawsuits in the U.S. Also, my research on mining Eastern India.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Enjoy the work, be patient and hold on to the enthusiasm. Become a domain expert to make your beat reporting robust.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Regular hours CET
What's the best pitch you ever got?
About the failing public liability insurance protection in India that exposed victims to a long process of denials of their claims.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Too many. Working in an emerging economy like India meant that lots of interested parties wanted their voices/positions in pink papers.
What's your favorite drink?
Beer
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
By a lake (I live next to one)
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker, The Caravan (India)
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That illicit money stored in Switzerland can be wired back to developing countries in a jiffy!
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.