I applied to work at Mint Press in February or March of 2014, but wasn't contacted about my submission until mid-summer. I was informed via email that a Mint Press staff member would like to interview me but they didn't indicate what position I was interviewing for (so I assumed it was a general assignment journalist). The interview was with a man who had a terrible phone connection (I didn't even catch his name). It was incredibly difficult to hear him, which made the interview a bit challenging. During the 30 minute interview, the interviewer didn't ask me ANY questions about my professional background or expertise in East African issues. Rather, he quizzed me about my current news knowledge (which is fine) and then moved onto my personal perspectives and opinions about current events, particularly between Ukraine and Russia. At one point, he asked, "who do you think shot down the Malaysian plane in the Ukraine?" I replied that I had my suspicions, but as a journalist I only report the facts, not simply rumors Unfortunately, my answer didn't satisfy him and he continued to press me on my opinion, which I never provided. Lastly, he said that MintPress would like to interview me in-person within the next week or so, but "that I needed to be better prepared." I wasn't sure what that even meant. The interviewer then told me a Mint Press staffer would contact me in the next few days to set up the in-person interview but I never did receive that call. Four months later, I did receive an email stating that Mint Press hired a different candidate. The whole process was confusing and very nontransparent. I'm still trying to figure out what happened in those 30 minutes (or who shot down the Malaysian plane, though I have my suspicions.)