Thomas Sherrill
VerifiedInterview
What was your first job as a journalist?
As an editorial intern for the Wilmington Sharks earning $25 a day on home gamedays (nothing on other days, which I still worked).
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Not since I was a kid.
How is social media changing news?
It appeals to a person's short attention span and can distort the truth through word salads, usually for free.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
The version of myself that I present to my parents.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To sift through public relations word salads and hold powerful people accountable so I can tell the truth without accent or bias.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
With great enthusiasm and concise detail.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
OpenOffice, Goggle Docs, GMail, Voice Recorder, Photoshop (to brighten photos) and whatever free software there is.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
U Thant (RIP), Third Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I believe in the power of writing and informing people of what's going on.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I started as sports reporter, went to sports editor and managing editor in my senior year.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
"Of shoes and stables: A look inside the 95-year-old Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show"
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Community journalism is more important than national news in many ways. Treasure it.
When's the best time to pitch you?
When not on deadline day.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Once when someone asked me to write a story about sandwich boards in the town of Banner Elk, N.C. Turned into an award-winning story.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Many times people have pitched me to write about how a doctor or dentist allegedly ripped them off.
What's your favorite drink?
Sweet tea
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Asleep
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Athletic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That I have a "beat" and not "beats."
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.