Stephen Janis
Verified
Director of "Tax Broke" and"The Friendliest Town" docs, co-host The Police Accountability Report on The Real News Network. Host: Land of the Unsolved
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Baltimore City Paper
Have you ever used a typewriter?
yes
How is social media changing news?
Warping the quality and content of journalism
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
The Night Stalker
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To report the truth, tell people's stores, and always search for context to improve understanding and empathy
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
don't know
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
via email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Excel, Final Cut Pro
What's your favorite social network?
reddit
Who do you wish followed you?
Donald Trump
Why did you become a journalist?
2003
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
no
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My early reporting on the efficacy of Buprenorphine as a treatment for opiate addiction
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Ignore twitter
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I don't recall
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I can't really think of one
What's your favorite drink?
Merlot, red wine
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
walking or at City Hall or our Annapolis
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Times
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Reporting on government is simply recounting facts, not a process of accountability
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.