What was your first job as a journalist?
First stringer gig was covering Village Board for the Mt. Horeb Mail, a small-town weekly, at the age of 15, for $25 a story.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes of course! I wrote several fiction stories on a typewriter. My first professional news stories came out of a dot matrix printer, though.
How is social media changing news?
Disaggregation. News has become ambient. Used to be the newspaper had to sell; now each story has to perform and be measured and monetized.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Telling the truth, helping people engage in their community and showing them the importance of doing so.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google drive and a recording app on my phone, both for in person interviews and calls. Social media is an important source of info & tips.
Why did you become a journalist?
I initially just wanted to write, and to tell stories using the written word. Journalism is the best profession to do that.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No, I was on yearbook staff. I was opinion page editor for my college paper though.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be intensely and genuinely curious. You must really, truly want to know everything about the person you're interviewing.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Doesn't really matter. I can't promise to be sitting in my office at any regular times, so just be persistent if I don't get back to you.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Oh man, so many. Usually the worst are those that obviously don't know what we cover and have no local connection.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's just like any other beat.
