Shani Friedman
New York
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
College newspaper
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Briefly and horribly
How is social media changing news?
Mostly for the worse
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be tenacious
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I'm usually doing the pitching.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A computer, digital camera, Word Press
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Justin Trudeau
Why did you become a journalist?
To entertain and serve the public good
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. Writer and editor
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Writing about being a tenant advocate in housing court
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Know how to spell and use grammar correctly, don't be lazy and only work for free if you really love it (and sparingly).
When's the best time to pitch you?
Any time
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Write about the two people who set up a museum devoted to Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan in their apartment hallway.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Don't have one
What's your favorite drink?
Stella
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Doing something entertaining, like meeting friends for dinner, seeing a show or going to the movies.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Guardian
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's not serious or important
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.