Coffee With A Journalist

Today, on the 50th episode of Coffee with a Journalist, we’re joined by Caroline Haskins from BuzzFeed News. Caroline has been a Technology Reporter at BuzzFeed News since 2019. Prior to then, she was a staff writer for Motherboard and an Editorial Intern at The Outline.  During the episode, Caroline tells us about her process for finding unique stories to cover, how hectic her inbox can be, a major story she broke during the George Floyd protests, and more.

Today’s guest is none other than Erin Griffith from The New York Times. Erin has been a Correspondent for NYT since 2018. She currently reports on technology start-ups and venture capital from the San Francisco bureau. Erin has also been with many other notable news outlets including Wired, Fortune, and Adweek.  During the episode, Erin tells us about the type of stories she’s been focusing on at NYT, the importance of subject lines, one of her favorite stories she’s written, and more.

Joining us today is veteran journalist, Michael Liedtke from the Associated Press. Michael has been a business/tech writer for AP since April of 2000. He covers a wide range of tech businesses from Google and Yahoo to Netflix and Twitter. Additionally, Michael covers the issues affecting technology and society, including stories on privacy and innovation.  During today’s episode, Michael talks about why he’s more likely to read an email he receives, his feelings on local journalism, and much more.

Mohana Ravindranath has been a reporter for Politico since 2017 and currently covers and tracks evolving stories within HealthTech, data privacy, algorithms, and the digital divide. Prior to 2017, Mohana worked for notable news outlets such as The Washington Post, Business Insider, and The Daily Pennsylvanian. Mohana tells us more about her “chaotic” inbox filled with over 50,000 emails, how she separates “buzz” from real news, the complexity of covering the eHealth industry, her role as a reporter, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by David Jeans, a tech reporter for Forbes Magazine. He joined the publication in March of 2020. His previous experience includes covering WeWork, real estate tech startups, and commercial real estate for The Real Deal. David tells us more about how he responds to pitches (or lack thereof), where the best stories tend to come from and how to catch his attention with an exclusive, one of his favorite books, and more.

Today on the show, we’re chatting with Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins. Jennifer is an entrepreneur and small business reporter for Business Insider. She joined the publication in 2018 and prior to then, she was a blogger, social media coordinator, stylist, makeup artist, and freelance writer. Jennifer tells us about how she prioritizes her daily schedule, what she looks for most in a pitch, how important pitch subject lines are, the types of pieces she tends to write, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Julia Boorstin, a senior media & entertainment correspondent for CNBC. Julia joined CNBC in 2006 as an on-air correspondent and previously reported for Fortune Magazine. Today, Julia shares about the 100s of emails she received per day as a broadcast reporter, her preference for the type of pitches she wants to receive, how and why she started the Disruptor 50 list, how different it is pitching a broadcast reporter versus a digital reporter, the specific types of stories CNBC covers, and more.

Maya Shwayder joins us on the show today. Maya is a freelance writer and most recently was a privacy and tech reporter for Digital Trends. She has extensive experience reporting from various locations including New York, Berlin, Washington D.C., and Boston. On the episode today, Maya tells us about her recent gig at Digital Trends, how long she spends reviewing pitches that she also places into one of two categories, a recent pitch subject line that caught her attention and why, and lots more.

We’re joined by Aaron Pressman on today’s show. Aaron is a senior technology writer for Fortune magazine and the co-author of Data Sheet - a daily newsletter covering tech news. Aaron joined Fortune in March of 2016 and previously reported for Yahoo!, Bloomberg, and Reuters. On the show today, Aaron tells us more about his newsletter, “the Data Sheet,” his latest coverage surrounding 5G, the ways a perfect pitch can be crafted for his writing interests, and more.

Today, we’re joined by John Biggs, the Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo magazine. John’s tenure in journalism has spanned 17 years including his past roles at The New York Times, TechCrunch, and CoinDesk. Not only is John a well-known journalist but he’s also an entrepreneur and author, and most recently launched his newest book, “Get Funded - The Startup Entrepreneur’s Guide to Seriously Successful Fundraising.” On today’s episode, John shares about his early days at Gizmodo, his thoughts on what “tech news” consists of, how pitching has shifted over the past 10+ years, and more.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Peter Adams, a reporter for Marketing Dive - an umbrella company of Industry Dive. Peter’s coverage includes news, updates, and cultural trends in the marketing industry and most recently has written about the industry shifts due to COVID-19, marketing amidst social movements, and generational consumer behavior. Today, Peter shares about his favorite canned coffee, what makes Marketing Dive’s daily newsletter unique, the types of stories you can pitch him, and more.

Today’s guest is Kate Clark, a reporter for The Information covering venture capital and startups. Kate joined The Information in January of 2020 and was previously a reporter for TechCrunch breaking some of the biggest stories to hit the venture capital industry. On the episode today, Kate shares insight about her process for identifying sources in her inbox, where and who she gets her story ideas from, the peaks and valleys of reporting, and more.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Olivia Solon, the editor of tech investigations for NBC News. She has previously worked at news outlets including The Guardian, Bloomberg, and WiRED. Olivia gives us an in-depth look into her inbox “shit-show”, she shares more about her recent coverage surrounding Facebook and racial bias claims, why she prefers tips over press releases and pitches, and more.

On the show today, we’re joined by Mary Ann Azevedo, the managing editor for FinLedger - a fintech-focused media brand designed for financial services professionals. Mary Ann has been a journalist for over 20 years serving as a reporter and editor, most recently with Forbes and Crunchbase News. Mary Ann talks about her new role and building a team at FinLedger, juggling writing, editing, and being a mom, her coverage on startups and how fintech is evolving, and more.

Today’s guest is Samson Amore, a technology reporter for The Wrap where he covers tech, esports, podcasts, and gaming. Samson previously reported for the Los Angeles Business Journal and worked for notable news outlets including NPR and the Boston Globe. During the show, Samson tells us about his love of drinking coffee, the growth of The Wrap, the types of pitches that are helpful, how much of his stories include pitches, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Rob Pegoraro, a contributor to Fast Company, Yahoo Tech Finance, Wirecutter, and the Washington Post. Rob has been a journalist for over 20 years, and now covers computers, gadgets, and consumer-tech related news. Rob shares his insights surrounding data privacy, how he thinks about the broader view of a pitch related to a story he’s working on, why he hasn’t created a TikTok video yet, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Ilyse Liffreing, the social media editor and reporter at Ad Age. Ilyse has served previous roles at NBC News and Digiday, and now covers the latest news surrounding social media, prominent platforms, and the emerging landscape. Ilyse shares with us how many hundreds of emails she receives daily, why she has to read every pitch in her inbox, the components of a good pitch that fit her beat, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Ben Schiller, the managing editor for features and opinions at CoinDesk. Ben has over 20 years of experience in business and tech journalism serving previous roles at Fast Company and BREAKERMAG. Today, Ben dives into the 3 segments of CoinDesk’s audience, his focus on feature articles and trend stories, why pitches must be topical and newsworthy, BREAKERMAG’s former “furry” mascot, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Katherine Foley, a health and science reporter for Quartz. Katherine focuses on stories surrounding age-related health and aging populations and most recently has been covering these types of stories related to COVID-19. Today, Katherine tells us about how Quartz approaches COVID-19 coverage, how she organizes pitches in her inbox, why you shouldn’t pitch her personal email, her free personal newsletter, and more.

On today’s show, we’re joined by Joel Shannon, a reporter for USA Today’s Nation Now team. Joel covers trending news stories including weather, health, and national news, and recently has covered stories about COVID-19. On the episode, Joel shares about the unique way Now News works with local news publications, why pitching him might be tough, how he works with beat writers from USA Today, and more.