What was your first job as a journalist?
I've never had a "job" as a journalist. I believe the first piece I ever got published was on a local poster/postcard shop.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, a long time ago but I don't think I'd go back to one now.
How is social media changing news?
It's amplifying existing biases and fragmenting the news into competing, increasingly irreconcilable interpretations of reality.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I can't even think of one. There are more real-life journalists than I'm able to keep track of...
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To me it means not advocating for a point of view, but unpacking different perspectives on the same issue so that readers can decide.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Nothing comes to mind, but I'm sure I've seen one. Most news doesn't make me chuckle, tbh. I wish more did.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
E-mail, but Twitter DM and LinkedIn DM are fine too.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
AudioHijack recording software comes in super-handy.
What's your favorite social network?
Does Substack count?
Who do you wish followed you?
I can't think of anyone specific.
Why did you become a journalist?
Initially because I wanted to write about music in an artful way that pointed people to their own opinions.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Didn't work for the high school newspaper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Off the top of my head, my 2021 Bandcamp piece on Alien Weaponry and a 2010 piece on Brutal Truth for Nashville Scene.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
We need to get away from advocacy journalism that preaches to the choir and pressures readers from a place of moral authority.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Weekdays.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Can't remember.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Can't remember, and I wouldn't wanna embarrass anyone - plus sometimes poorly-pitched items still make great stories.
What's your favorite drink?
Matcha anti-oxidant protein drink.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outside walking.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I'd really have to think about that one!
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it isn't stressful.
