Richard Chachowski
Verified
(He/Him)
New Jersey, Somerset
As seen in:
Parade,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
MSN New Zealand,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
Yahoo Canada,
Yahoo News Australia,
Yahoo News Malaysia,
Yahoo News UK,
Yahoo Singapore
and
Covers:
Entertainment, travel, food, art, lifestyle, and sports
Doesn't Cover:
Business
Hi I'm Richard. I write stuff...... sometimes. Writer for Wealth of Geeks, Looper, Explore, and others
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
My first official job was as a ghostwriter for the online medical journal, Physician Sense.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No, but I WISH.
How is social media changing news?
It's far easier now reporting stories and continuing to add to them as more details come out.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I'm partial to the main character, William, from "Almost Famous." Who wouldn't want to write for Rolling Stone at 15?
What does it mean to be a journalist?
That's a tough one. I suppose being a journalist is all about reporting the news as free of personal biases or opinions as possible.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Hard to say--I don't really look at #hashtags in news stories, unfortunately.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
For story pitches, please free to email! I make an effort to answer all emails in a very timely fashion.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs mostly (Word takes up too much storage). I use Google to find reliable sources that I cite for my work.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram
Who do you wish followed you?
Michiko Kakutani.
Why did you become a journalist?
I love writing. I love everything about it--researching, editing, putting pen to paper, typing. I suppose it came from reading so much.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I had a satirical column in my high school newspaper, covering politics and the '16 election.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I loved George Saunders since I was a teenager--so being able to interview him was a dream come true on so many levels.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Never give up, and always try to write something, even if it's just for practice (trust me, it'll pay off eventually).
When's the best time to pitch you?
I look at the most amount of emails from 10 am to 3 pm, but am available pretty much around the clock.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Probably the most interesting pitches I receive are related to medical writing (how religion makes you healthy, etc.)
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Luckily, I receive so few bad pitches, I don't honestly know.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee again.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Usually on the couch, reading. Or outside reading. Or laying down in bed, reading. Or standing up ... and reading.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New Yorker, hands down.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it requires no research. In point of fact, it requires a TON of research.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.