Samir Bhattacharya
(Mr)
As seen in:
MSN India,
RT,
Hindustan Times,
CNN-News18,
Firstpost,
Flipboard,
The Hindu,
Independent Online,
The Diplomat Magazine,
Deccan Herald
and
Covers:
International Relations and foreign policy. India Africa and India China Relations. Peace and conflict. Economic and soft diplomacy. Environment.
Doesn't Cover:
Anything too technical requires engineering background etc.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Hindustan TImes
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
How is social media changing news?
Hashtage age
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Ashwin Sangvi
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be able to research on what I want. To be able to say what I want, I chose to be freelance.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Didn;t notice that way
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Open to new ideas
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Grammerly
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Big media houses
Why did you become a journalist?
I love asking questions :)
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did. Only me, my family and a few close friends used to read.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Indian mythology and world geopolitics.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be ready to be unpaid for years. Currently I am. Or still I am.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime is fine, if its a mail
What's the best pitch you ever got?
African Geopolitics
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Was asked to work on a project on Boko Haram with another fellow. I thought I knew little, can use help of the other. Turns out he was worse.
What's your favorite drink?
Long Island tea
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outside my room
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Foreign Policy
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I am working on African geopolitics and it's not that important
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.