What was your first job as a journalist?
I was a stringer for The Daily Advocate in Greenville, Ohio covering local high school basketball games.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Are you kidding? I learned on a typewriter and was confused about computers until 1995 when I realized you had to plug them in.
How is social media changing news?
SM is smoking old media, both have it's place but people don't have the same attention span and it gets harder to tell the story faster.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Will McAvoy / "The Newsroom" and Ron Burgundy / "Anchorman" both are icons of how some perceive news reporting.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
Keeping your personal agendas out of the story along with the corporate spin on reality. Our world is skewed enough.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
It's a new invention only been around a couple of years called a telephone. Pitching through email or twitter isn't interesting.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
MS Word, Adobe PhotoShop, and Photo Mechanic are all the tools you will ever need to tell the story besides the internet for research.
What's your favorite social network?
Depending on the subject I believe Twitter is great for fast story release but Facebook for growing the story.
Who do you wish followed you?
People who are interested in my point of view and have an interest in contributing to the conversation.
Why did you become a journalist?
I started my career as a Navy photographer quickly realizing I wasn't telling stories as a photojournalist I now tell stories.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I was the photo editor and learned to write about people and the human impact stories and images generate.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
I worked as the Navy's Public Relations officer for Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and and earthquake in Padang, Indonesia.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write a lot, trust but verify, spell names correctly and get the right information before telling the world.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime, I'm retired Navy and still spend 17-hours a day connected reviewing news, updates and images.
