Sunni M. Khalid
Verified
As seen in:
KALW-FM (San Francisco, CA),
The Washington Post,
NPR,
Flipboard,
Baltimore Sun,
teleSUR,
The Root,
Andscape,
EIN News,
Dispatches from Kolkata,
Your Legal Rights
and
Not the Heavyweight Champion of the World...or one of them.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
I worked as a staff writer for my college newspaper, The Hilltop.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, I am old enough to have begun my career on a portable, manual typewriter. Back then, we used carbon paper, as well.
How is social media changing news?
Almost completely from what the industry was when I started out almost 40 years ago. Social media has disaggregated news and information.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't have one.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It is who I am, as much as what I am.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I don't pay much attention to hashtags.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
In-person, if possible, with no more than two sentences.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
As a radio reporter, primarily, I use a flashdrive, microphone and a pen and pad.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook.
Who do you wish followed you?
Nobody.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to question authority, while not becoming involved as a partisan.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I worked for both my high school's official newspaper, as well as the underground monthly newspaper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story on the wedding of a young Somali couple marrying after the US intervention in Mogadishu.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Study subjects other than journalism, develop areas of expertise, and learn a foreign language.
When's the best time to pitch you?
First thing in the morning.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I've forgotten.
What's your favorite drink?
Tonic water with a twist of lime.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Checking news websites.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Independent, The Guardian and Le Monde are my three favorite news sites.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That reporters take sides.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.