Steven Aquino is a freelance technology journalist with a proven track record in the media and education industries. As a member of a marginalized group who makes use of assistive technology, Steven brings credibility and insight to his writing about how tech can improve the lives of people with disabilities. We spoke with Steven on his background in journalism, advice for PR professionals, and what makes a good story.
How Did You Get Into Journalism?
I got into journalism way back in 2013. At the time, I was over a decade into my last career teaching special education at different levels. The last nine or so of those years, I was working in preschool classrooms. I love to write, and I love technology, and I used to maintain a blog in my downtime where I’d write about tech news—all while dreaming of someday attending Apple press events as a reporter in person. (I’ve since been to dozens! Life is crazy.)
Suffice it to say, I was getting burned out at work for myriad reasons. An app developer-turned-friend made an iPad magazine app called The Magazine, and I remember he wrote a blog post where he put out a call for writers. I was the school’s unofficial IT person, and we used iPads a lot to augment the curriculum, so I decided to write about it from an accessibility and assistive tech standpoint. It was then that my beat was born. I covered Apple exclusively for my first six years as a journalist, then widened my aperture to include the broader tech industry when I officially joined Forbes’ contributor network in April 2020 (they asked me to join in late 2019). (You can still read my story today!)
What Makes For A Good Story As It Relates To The Sector/Industry You Cover?
As a journalist, especially one with a pretty esoteric coverage area, the onus falls on my shoulders to cultivate a compelling story. Broadly, I think my work is instructive insofar as it shows people how technology is used differently by people. The classic example is the iPhone: nearly everyone has one, but none of us use it exactly the same way. I’ve been privileged to review every new iPhone since the 6 and 6 Plus dropped in 2014, and reviewing them from my unique lens means I get to show readers that writing about smartphones encompasses far more than Geekbench scores and camera comparisons. For a disabled person like myself, seemingly undervalued attributes like the size and weight of the iPhone as a physical object matter a lot, too.
What Is The Biggest Piece Of Advice You Would Give To Young PR Professionals Who Are Pitching You?
I’d say cultivate and nurture personal relationships. Professionalism is one thing, and I’m always about it, but as a marginalized person who sometimes has trouble getting people to see the real me, the relationships I’ve made over the last decade mean something. As evidenced by my (private) Facebook and Instagram accounts, many of the best people I’ve ever known have come into my life by way of work. Work and/or talk closely well enough with someone, and the likelihood is good you’ll eventually become practically besties.
I’m not advocating for befriending every single comms person or reporter out there; that’s impossible and, frankly, I’ve known some not-so-nice folks. The salient point is oftentimes working with PR people can feel very transactional—hear my pitch, write your story, and go away—and I don’t want to go through life that way. I’d also suggest really doing your homework on a person’s beat. I get so many irrelevant or just plain weird pitches almost daily. There are a lot of comms people throwing way too much spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks—and it isn’t a good look, to be quite honest.
What Are Some Trends In The Media That You’ve Witnessed And How Do You Anticipate The Industry Will Change Moving Forward?
In the last few years, I’ve noticed an uptick in companies putting more efforts in accessibility as part of their overall DEI work. Awareness still is nowhere near that of other areas of social justice, but cultural things like CODA on Apple TV+ have done a lot to move the needle.
I’d say my friends and peers in the mainstream media need to get way better at disability reporting. Whether technology or otherwise, disability coverage is still lacking in quantity and, crucially, quality.
If You Hadn’t Pursued Journalism, What Other Career Path Would You Have Chosen?
About 20 years ago, I took a leave of absence from my teaching position to pursue a career in the culinary world. I’ve always been a foodie and enjoy being in the kitchen, so I thought I’d try to become a pastry chef. I was accepted to the since-closed Le Cordon Bleu school in downtown San Francisco, but the high tuition ended those dreams.
If I weren’t a technology reporter, I’d definitely want to be a sportswriter. I follow (and know!) a bunch of beat writers covering MLB, the NFL, and more on social media, and I love their work.
What’s One Mistake In Your Career That Turned Into A Learning Lesson You’ll Never Forget?
A few months ago, I was pitched about interviewing Chris Evans—yes, Captain America himself—about his involvement with a dog food startup. The actual interview was one of the highlights of my entire life, let alone my journalistic career. It was a little outside of my wheelhouse in terms of topic, but I was going to make it work because, like, who would say no to interviewing one of the biggest stars in the world?
Anyway, I posted the story to my Forbes column to great fanfare—only to have my editor yank it after a couple hours. Suffice it to say, it was heartbreaking and maddening and I got a long email, but I learned never to cavalierly presume people will defer to you for knowledge. And always consult with your editor first.
