To help you get to know our newsroom staff a bit better, a series of question-and-answer posts with each journalist will run on Mondays. This morning, meet copy editor Mike Spiro. He works on the night news and digital desk, so while most others are drifting off to sleep, Mike keeps on top of breaking news to ensure you can read the latest with your morning coffee.
Name: Mike Spiro
Lives in: Springettsbury Township
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey
Position at the YDR: Copy Editor
Years with the YDR: 1+
Graduated from: Shippensburg University
With a degree in: Journalism, English
Twitter: @mtspiro, but don’t follow me if you are easily offended
1. What made you want to become a journalist? A combination of writing for the Central Prowler at Central York High School, watching Around the Horn on ESPN, and Tuesdays with Morrie.
2. How do you see journalism changing? The focus is clearly moving from print to digital; however, nothing can replace the morning paper on your commute into the city. Seeing someone on the train or in the subway reading off of an iPad just looks wrong. Besides, newspapers double as a handy umbrella on rainy days. I’d love to see someone holding up their iPad in the rain. Believe me, there isn’t an app for that.
3. What do you like most about your job? The least? I have enjoyed learning from people who have been in the business for longer than I have been alive. My job has also taught me a lot about the world and current events. The two things I hate most about my job are not having a Saturday off in the past year and a half, and not being able to keep up with the sports world as much as I would like to.
4. It’s 9:30 a.m. on a day off. What are you doing? Snoozin’ with my puppy until at least 2 p.m.
5. What’s been your favorite project or story recently? Why? The NBA labor agreement. This is going to be by far the most interesting season in the last decade.
6. The drink that’s on your desk right now is: Water.
7. Your favorite journalism-related blog you read or Twitter feed you follow: The Sports Guy’s column on ESPN.com can’t be beat, even though it no longer exists.
8. What’s your favorite movie? Book? Movie — Gladiator. Book — Tuesdays with Morrie
9. What’s your favorite place in York County? My bed. Aside from that, I’m not a big fan of Pennsylvania.
10. What’s one piece of newsroom jargon that had to be explained to you? My first month at the paper, people kept talking about wire. I never dealt with it, so I didn’t know wire meant national news. However, I still think of the show “The Wire” whenever it gets tossed around the newsroom. Second best show of all time, next to the Sopranos, of course.
Last week, we ran a Q&A with entertainment reporter Erin McCracken. To read all of the staff Q&A interviews we’ve done so far, click on the “Staff Q&As” under “About us” at the top of the homepage.
