What was your first job as a journalist?
Associate producer for the CBC Nova Scotia supper hour news.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
In every way... the way we consume, the way we chase, the stories we choose to cover... it is an encompassing change.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
MacKenzie McHale
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means being tasked with the responsibility of keeping power in check, getting to learn new things every day. It means a great many things.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
For video/photos I use a Nikon D750, or my phone (MOJO style). I have a top of the line audio recorder and for software, I mostly use Adobe.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Oprah, obviously.
Why did you become a journalist?
My love and curiosity of international politics and culture.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My high school did not have a newspaper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The triple-murder trial of Derek Saretzky. The summer of 2017.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
There's a difference between a having a passion for your work and working to pay the bills. Don't be a journalist just to pay bills...
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime, all the time!
What's the best pitch you ever got?
The radio documentary about women struggling after leaving the Mormon Church in southern Alberta, Canada... that story was pitched to me.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Any time someone tries to get me to punish someone else for something they had done to them... *sigh*
What's your favorite drink?
Mango lassies... I just can't resist.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Strolling the coastlines of southern France... or travelling.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Economist and FP
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
"International journalism... oh you must just be an adrenaline junky."
