What was your first job as a journalist?
As a writer for Universe Today
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Oh yes, back in the day. I believe it was the early Quaternary
How is social media changing news?
It's a mixed effect. It's reducing it to sound bites, click-bait, and likes, but also allowing for many more voices to be heard.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
April O'Neil. She found the Ninja Turtles!
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means taking something you're passionate about, doing your best to understand it, and then conveying that passion and understanding to ot.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Space advocacy groups, commercial space entities, non-profits, technological developers, research institutes
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Wordpress, Grammarly, Google Docs, Windows, Microsoft Office, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, my Acer laptop, iPhone, Tonor mic, Bose headset
What's your favorite social network?
I would say Facebook since it allows for a lot of different ways to connect and share content. LinkedIn is definitely a front-runner too!
Who do you wish followed you?
Chris Hadfield, or Elon Musk. How cool would that be?
Why did you become a journalist?
I love space, science, SF, and history. I love writing about the things I love. It seemed like a match made in heaven!
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope. I'm not sure I ever picked up a copy of it, frankly.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Anything having to do with spaceflight, ecology, energy, and education, and how these things will ensure our survival as a species.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Find your passion, do your homework, say your piece, and always tell the truth. Everything else is background noise.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning. I like seeing ideas, proposals, and invites in my Inbox when I check my email first thing after I wake up.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Tough call! But I think that the story about how advances in graphene manufacturing could lead to a Space Elevator real soon!
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone tried to sell me on their pseudoscience paper that stated black holes don't exist and are just planets occulting other stars. SMH!
What's your favorite drink?
A good stiff India Pale Ale, preferably from the Pacific Northwest.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Outdoors, walking with my wife and cat. At the gym. Possibly in our backyard, or at the pub!
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Forbes, Centauri Dreams, Wired, Business Insider, Space News, Teslarati
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That we're promoting an industry that will make people forget about Earth and it's problems
