What was your first job as a journalist?
I took meeting notes for local borough council meetings for our weekly newspaper and wrote detailed (read: boring) articles about them.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, I started out using an IBM Selectric
How is social media changing news?
Social media has made it harder to tell what's real news and what is biased or "fake" these days.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
no one
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A journalist must know a lot about a lot of different subjects and be able to translate that knowledge to the page.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I don't pay attention to hashtags.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
via email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
laptop, Microsoft Office, wondershare pdf element
What's your favorite social network?
Reddit
Who do you wish followed you?
everyone
Why did you become a journalist?
because I love to write
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I wrote feature articles for our two high school newspapers.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
When I was in high school I did a series of stories on the African famine for my high school newspaper.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write, write, write and if you can't find someone to publish your work, publish it yourself.
When's the best time to pitch you?
from mid-morning to early-afternoon EST
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Writing 50 1500 word articles for $3000
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Someone wanted me to write 1500 words for $5
What's your favorite drink?
chardonnay
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Reading, walking my dog, traveling
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
i don't have time to read
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That writing about these topics is easy - it is not and it often requires much research.
