What was your first job as a journalist?
Freelancing while still a student covering the last years of apartheid.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, but only for fun.
How is social media changing news?
It is amplifying disinformation, shortening attention spans and making people far less polite in their disagreements.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Mikael Blomkvist
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Helping people around the world have the information needed to make better decisions.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Evernote, Otter.ai, ChatGPT,
What's your favorite social network?
X
Who do you wish followed you?
Cyril Ramaphosa
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I really believed (and still do) that we can help to make the world a better place.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I helped found it.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Overseeing our coverage of the war in Tigray.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep learning, keep listening, stay curious, write simply and clearly.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Thursdays and Fridays
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Too many to mention
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Ones that are completely off topic, such as cosmetics or fashion.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Running or hiking
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times, The Atlantic, New Yorker
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it is all about war and misery
