What was your first job as a journalist?
A stringer for the nationals, and regional press.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
This would age me!
How is social media changing news?
Look at social media, where the world and his wife is now a journalist, it seems.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
None, to be honest.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
I don't like being labelled as anything other than just being 'me.'
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I honestly don't recall.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Please don't bother.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter/X
Who do you wish followed you?
In reality, everyone!
Why did you become a journalist?
Well, I started as a stringer around 40 years ago, and it's been a steady slide downhill ever since.
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?
All of them, silly!
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Pattern Recognition Beats Paper Qualifications
I left school at 15, been homeless, no journalism degree. Now I'm outpacing the credentialed lot. What matters is whether you can spot the contradictions, connect the dots, and ask the questions others won't. The system rewards credentials, but actual journalism requires clear thinking - and you can develop that anywhere.
Three Questions, Every Time
Is it practical? Is it logical? What's the likely outcome? Run everything through this. Political promises, policy announcements, institutional claims - these three questions cut through the performance and get to what's actually happening. When the maths doesn't work, that's your story.
Stay Unattached
The moment you're defending a party or ideology, you've stopped being a journalist. You're now a supporter who occasionally writes. Call out dysfunction wherever you find it. Labour, Tories, Greens - doesn't matter. Your job is observation and documentation, not team loyalty.
Master the Tedious Work
FOI requests, council minutes, policy documents - this is where institutional failures live. It's boring, methodical work, but it produces evidence that can't be dismissed. While others chase quotes, you're building mathematical proof.
Write Like You Talk
Sophisticated analysis doesn't need pompous language. Explain it like you would to someone down the pub. Clear thinking deserves clear language.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Mostly, when I'm asleep.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Same as previous answer. I don't hire people.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
None, as I recall.
What's your favorite drink?
Hot chocolate.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Drinking hot chocolate and pondering the next blog at Caffe Nero.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Most on Substack.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I don't really have one.
