How do New York Times journalists use technology in their jobs and in their personal lives? Emily Bazelon, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, discussed the tech she’s using.

What are the most important tools that you, as a magazine writer who does investigative reporting, rely on?

Honestly, the vital tool in my work is people’s willingness to trust me with their stories and to patiently explain to me what I don’t understand. That’s what I need to do my job.

Everything is a means to that end. Talking to people face to face is still the best, and when I can’t meet someone in person, Skype is my substitute. When I Skype from my laptop, it looks like I’m calling from my cellphone number. I use a software addition called Call Recorder to tape calls (after asking people’s permission). It pops up when the call begins, which makes me remember to hit the button, and then it saves the calls in Ecamm Movie Tools. From there, it’s easy to export the files and play them.