What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a technology reporter for Monsters and Critics.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
yes, those were painful days
How is social media changing news?
It's enabling reporters to reach a wider audience.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Edward R Murrow
What does it mean to be a journalist?
it means being ready to explain the story, even if you don't agree with it.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Not exactly news related, but journalists will understand
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Far too many to mention, but Shodan, Kali, Maltego, Casefile, Google....
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Anyone who was interested in security and technology.
Why did you become a journalist?
To educate the public about security and technology.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Not exactly, I worked on the yearbook and helped pick the paper's best stories for inclusion.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Several stories really, most of them when I was running Salted Hash.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It's better to be second on a story and right, than first to the story and wrong. Take your time.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Afternoons if it's critical.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
One that was tailored to me and my readers directly. It came from a PR rep I've developed a long relationship with.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
It was directed to %firstname and referenced %story and other markers. Essentially, it was a form email gone bad.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
by my computer, but playing PS4
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
WSJ, NYT, Cyberscoop, Techcrunch, and I have a few reporters I read no matter where they publish.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's just about hackers and malware.
