Coffee with a Journalist

Our guest this week on Coffee with a Journalist is Russell Contreras. Russell is the senior race and justice reporter at Axios where he covers the policies and agencies at the heart of the administration of justice and how it impacts people of color.

During the episode, Russell talks about practicing brevity in pitches, how and what to pitch when it comes to embargoes and exclusives, why you shouldn't pitch him local news, and more.

Today on the podcast we're joined by Matt Safford, managing editor at Tom's Hardware. Matt started building PCs in the 90s and was a fan of technology from an early age. That love turned evolved into a journalism career writing for publications including Popular Science, PCMag, and Digital Trends.

During the episode, Matt discusses his unique approach when it comes to product reviews, how to format pitches for his writing style, why he's skeptical of exclusives, and more.

Our guest this week on the podcast is Lucia Moses, a senior correspondent at Insider. Lucia writes and reports on media for the publication and held a previous role as deputy editor overseeing media and advertising coverage.

During the episode, Lucia talks about the difference in stories that are behind the paywall vs in front of it, why she enjoys covering well-known brands, her openness to feedback on stories, and more.

This week on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast we spoke with Ray Wong, deputy editor of reviews & guides at Inverse. Ray covers consumer technology including product reviews and investigating AI technology, with the aim to uncover the larger story.

During the episode, Ray talks about exclusives he writes related to products and people, why he prefers to work with sources he already knows, how you can model your pitch off an existing article he's written, and more.

Our featured guest this week on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast is Zoë Weiner. Zoë is the senior beauty editor at Well+Good where she guides coverage of skin care, hair care, cosmetics, and the beauty industry at large. She's also the host of Zoë Tries It All, a YouTube series by Well+Good.

During the episode, Zoë shares she receives between 500-600 emails per day, what kinds of companies and pitches she's most interested in right now, her upcoming stories launching for summer, and more.

This week on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast we sat down with Kate Davis, Fast Co. deputy editor and the host of The Way We Work podcast.

During the episode, Kate talks about what it's like juggling multiple roles, her preferences for how to format subject lines, what you shouldn't be mentioning in pitches, and more.

Today on the podcast we had a chance to speak with Jay Peters, a news writer at The Verge. Jay covers breaking news in consumer technology, video games, entertainment, streaming, and more. He also writes about virtual worlds, the technologies that power them, and the companies trying to make the metaverse happen.

During the episode, Jay talks about the most useful pitches for him personally, lead time for embargoes, his thoughts on the future of the metaverse, and lots more.

Our guest this week on the podcast is Teddy Amenabar, a reporter on the Well+Being team at The Washington Post. Teddy covers internet trends spanning a wide range of subject matter from health, to climate and technology.

During the episode, Teddy shares more about the Well+Being team and their coverage, why he doesn't put much focus on pitch subject lines, his unique perspective on exclusive stories, and lots more.

This week on the Coffee with a Journalist podcast we're joined by Miriam Cross, a technology reporter at American Banker. Miriam covers banking technology and fintech specifically writing about the customer experience.

During the episode, Miriam talks about a pitch she still thinks about from over a year ago, an example of an exclusive pitch, why her email inbox is the best place to reach her, and lots more.

Our guest this week on Coffee with a Journalist is Megan Farokhmanesh, a senior writer at Wired. As a senior writer, Megan covers video games and the industry that makes them.

During the episode, Megan talks about why she has so many sticky notes on her desk, the ways you should and shouldn't format subject lines, her preference for lead time on stories, and much more.