Describe your job.
I write a business and urban affairs column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and occasionally I also write news stories. My column focuses on Atlanta's power brokers and decision makers as well as development issues facing metro Atlanta.

What time/day is best to call?
Usually the mornings.

How do you like to be contacted? (e-mail, phone, fax, mail)
E-mail is best. Fax is useless. If it's big news and time sensitive, an e-mail with a follow-up phone call is best.

Which topics are hot right now? Which are not?
For me, metro development issues are hot as well as changes in leadership.

What's your most memorable experience with a PR person?
There are many. One recent one was when a PR person slipped to me that Newell-Rubbermaid was moving its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, giving me a 1-A story for the next day.

Anything else you'd like Atlanta's public relations industry to know?
The best PR person knows what kind of info works in my column (if it's been published anywhere else or released generally, it won't get in). And the best PR person is one who serves as a facilitator rather than an obstructionist.

Our thanks to this month's Media Pro Guest Columnist.
Maria Saporta
Columnist
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
72 Marietta Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-526-5151
msaporta@ajc.com