What was your first job as a journalist?
The (great) Santa Barbara Independent. An alt weekly. Still around, mercifully.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. It was romantic, by which I mean: not practical.
How is social media changing news?
I fear my answer to this question will be tweeted.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
William Boot of the Daily Beast in Evelyn Wagh's Scoop. Anyone who answers this question otherwise is kidding themselves.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To have boundless curiosity and the persistence to follow it to the bitter end.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. And if it feels formatted and boilerplate and displays no knowledge of the magazine I work for or my interests, I will delete it.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Smart phone, keyboard, pens and notepads. InCopy, Wordpress, Word, Twitter etc. etc. does it really matter?
What's your favorite social network?
ugh. Muck Rack? No: Friendster.
Who do you wish followed you?
Joan Didion, James Agee, John McPhee, Joe Mitchell...
Why did you become a journalist?
See previous answer re: what makes a journalist.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes. Ran it. Turned it into a magazine because I'm a jerk. Picked fights with the literary mag because ditto.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read everything, write often, be a pest, ask stupid questions, outline.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Over email, in the morning.
