Selina Teyie
(She/Her)
Covers:
Women
Children
Youth
Persons living with disabilities
Marginalised persons
Doesn't Cover:
Anything not newsworthy.
Free indeed✝️
Neurotic thoughts. Not all though.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a reporter. Still am. I think they still call me a cub reporter.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No, but I would love to use one someday.
How is social media changing news?
It's harder to verify fake news from factual news now. But journalists are working hard behind the scenes to make sure news is factual.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Louise Lane, obviously.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I think it's equivalent to what Batman does in Gotham but with media tools and ethics and a little bit of restraint.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Anything about Kenyan politics is always funny.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I actually read my emails and texts so that would be a great place to pitch. I answer calls sometimes.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A great phone with a voice recorder and a great camera for videos and photographs is all I need.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter- it's where everything is happening.
Who do you wish followed you?
Follow as in on social media? I don't think I'm cool enough to want someone specific following me.
Why did you become a journalist?
I could write very well when I was still in primary school and my cousin suggested it to me and here I am.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My high school did not have a newspaper but my University had a magazine and the seniors in my year pioneered it.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I think every story I write where I articulate the need that women and girls have I am proud of. I'm yet to do that career-defining story.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It sounds cliché, but have a niche and do it well.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the morning. Preferably around 9 am.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Not gotten that mind-blowing pitch yet. Hope I get it before I retire.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A text with no hello, just a press release. No common courtesy whatsoever.
What's your favorite drink?
Ummm I like water?
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my phone, unfortunately.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I like the Daily Nation (Kenya) and internationally, I like the New York Times, Daily Mirror and France 24 (TV).
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it is only about gender-based violence which is women being battered when it is about widely about women, girls, vulnerable groups.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.