1. How do you get your news? This is open-ended on purpose. I get breaking news from Twitter, generally. Throughout the day I listen to the NPR hourly news update through NPR.org or the NPR One app. I listen to Diane Rehm's Friday News Roundup most weeks, and catch at least an hour of All Things Considered most days. I don't have a TV so it's all online or on the radio for me.
2. Please send me a gif or video or poem that captures your attention span? Andrea Gibson: Panic Button Collector https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOS2ohwDpyA which I first heard in @lazuni's car in New Hampshire last year.
3. How do you take your coffee? Often. Cream and sugar.
4. Who's doing it right in news? I think NPR gets it right more than most, and they do that by listening. Some programs more than others -- This American Life, who a few years ago I wouldn't have thought of as a news show, has done some amazingly focused journalism. I like the idea of these "new media" news outlets like Vox and 538, but I just can't get myself to pay close attention to them. I find David Folkenflick's twitter account to be a pretty amazing resource most days.
5. What's the first news event that you remember? The fall of the Berlin Wall. I remember seeing it on TV one night and knowing it was significant from the way my parents reacted.
6. What was the best thing that happened to you this week? I started working on a new project I've been putting off for way too long. It felt so good to take the first steps.
7. Describe yourself a little bit. (For instance, if you are a professional knitter, tell me how you fell in love with knitting.) I'm storyteller, a maker of things. By trade I'm a freelance Art Director and Designer. I'm constantly reinventing myself, for better or worse. Last week I realized I started coding HTML 17 years ago, but I've never considered myself a coder. I'm a photographer, filmmaker and aspiring podcaster. I'm fascinated equally by overlooked details and overarching narratives people miss while they're tied up in those details.
8. May I use your real name? First and last? Twitter handle? Yes! Michael Champlin, @mjchamplin
9. Where do you live? Region is fine. City is better, but optional. Dallas, TX.
10. What do you absolutely hate about the news? Sensationalism. Cable News makes me anxious and angry and distracts me from my food in restaurants. I often launch into tirades against Weather.com for their absurdly ridiculous homepage content and alarmist reporting on general weather phenomena. It's all just static. I hate static.
11. What's the best podcast or audio to listen to while doing chores? I like light-hearted things while I'm trying to get stuff done. How to do Everything, Wiretap, Wait Wait. If I listen to more serious stuff I just end up sitting at my desk, transfixed.
12. How do you get your news when you travel around the world? Once I travel around the world I'll let you know.
But seriously, my habits are pretty portable, so they tend to travel with me.
13. Could you please name 3-5 other people who you think I should interview for this series? And their Twitter handles, so I can get in touch? Thank you! Think: Who do I know who doesn't live in DC/NY/SF that would be interesting and different and fun?
On Twitter: @kdakeis, an awesome illustrator in Seattle @ireneros, data visualization wizard in Boston @imcatnoone, founder of ebook publishing platform in Berlin
(Send me your Twitter handle and any other links you'd like included.) I have too many websites. I'll keep this short:
@mjchamplin on twitter and most things http://blog.mjchamplin.com is my blog http://mjchamplin.com is my portfolio