What was your first job as a journalist?
Commerce and industry. Also writing obits
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes
How is social media changing news?
It is the go-to source for breaking news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Murphy Brown
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Searching for truth. Verifying everything
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
email
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Voice memo, word, etc
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter
Who do you wish followed you?
Jason Isbell
Why did you become a journalist?
My mother and older brother had been stringers for a local daily and I inherited the post
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
We didn't have a school newspaper. I was a stringer for a local daily, Wichita Falls (TX) Record News and did a daily radio report on KTAT
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Oprah Winfrey Beef Trial
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Make connections with mentors, intern everywhere you can. Listen.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime
What's your favorite drink?
Diet DP
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Listening to music
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Oxford American
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it pays well
