What was your first job as a journalist?
Trainee reporter on a local paper, covering absolutely everything - court, tribunals, celebrities, council meetings...
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I requested one for my birthday as a child because I knew my parents couIdn't afford a computer. I used to write stories on it.
How is social media changing news?
The speed and quantity of information is sometimes overwhelming. It's easier to get things wrong.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
I don't really have one. Writers usually get us so wrong.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It is a privilege and comes with great responsibility, but it can also be a lot of fun!
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I'll come back to this.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Pen and paper, Google Drive/Maps/Earth, Dropbox, Jira, an in-house content management system, Shorthand, R Studio, Qgis - among others.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter or Instagram.
Who do you wish followed you?
Anyone interested in a new take on the news. I'm always happy when field-experts follow me - and students of all ages.
Why did you become a journalist?
A journalist from my local paper came to talk at my school. She spoke of the privilege of being let into people's lives. That was that.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Me and some friends launched one in Sixth Form. I think we were joint editors. It was terrible, but we learnt a lot.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Any story that people said was a hard sell, but that I managed to tell in a way that sold it - especially to new audiences.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Start at the bottom, skill up, try everything, learn from others, sub-editors are your friends, the best journalism is teamwork.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Post-lunch.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Anything that is a story that hasn't been told before.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Anything pretending to be a story, but is actually a sales pitch.
What's your favorite drink?
A coffee bought by colleagues on a Friday morning from our favourite cafe Kaffeine in London.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In the garden, running or making something out of cardboard boxes with my son.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Anything that looks interesting that's shared by interesting people on Twitter.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That telling complicated stories simply is easy. It's not.
