What was your first job as a journalist?
I ran errands for the editor, ran hand-subbed hard copy to the works. I also wrote fillers and sometimes got to do the odd theater review
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I still have my Hermes portable in a hard case. It was my first "laptop" when I worked as a foreign correspondent in London the 1980s
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Have a strong sense of right and wrong, a thick skin and expect to have fun but not to get rich
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
At a conference I Googled the official hashtag - as is my habit & organizers should always do. It led to filthy timeline for a new porn movie
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I prefer an initial approach via email if I don't know you. But I'm happy for a call from a PR that I know and who knows what I want.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
More journalists
Why did you become a journalist?
Like many journalists, I didn't fit in elsewhere. I stumbled into journalism and newsrooms and found a world of cool misfits just like me
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, there wasn't one. But both my daughters, who are also journalists, did
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Covering the HIV/AIDS in South Africa and putting a human face to it at the height of the pandemic at a time of deadly government denialism
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Hard to say. But spray and pray product pitches that show all recipients' emails and are not a proper story should be banned.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
ColdType, a free online long form publication, for its fine writing, photos and clean, striking design
