Thomas Howard
Verified
As seen in:
The Meridian Star,
Yahoo Entertainment,
Yahoo Life,
Scribd,
Yahoo News,
Yahoo Finance,
Substack,
Yahoo Sports,
Yahoo,
BioRxiv,
Patheos
and
Covers:
Government, community news, economic development, public safety, breaking news and whatever else comes across my desk.
Journalist, photographer, part-time runner. I bark at squirrels so my dogs don't have to. Tweets are my own.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Staff writer at The Anniston Star
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
social media is both a source, a way to find sources, a distribution channel and a pit where stories go to die. It is a beautiful mess.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Lois Lane
What does it mean to be a journalist?
We’re the eyes of the community.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
QuarkXPress, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, Drupal, Dropbox, DSLR camera, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe InDesign
Who do you wish followed you?
My dad
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to do something meaningful with my life.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
My high school didn’t have a paper
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Juveniles tried as adults
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Be ready to do a bit of everything.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Late morning
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I had a guy pitch me a story about how the CIA was putting microchips in his cattle to spy on him. I didn’t do anything with it.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I was pitched a story by Mosquito Joe corporate in New York to set up an interview with the guy sitting next to me in Mississippi.
What's your favorite drink?
Water
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On assignment
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Onion
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.