Andrea Stone

Andrea Stone first heard about JAWS from Betty Anne Williams when they both worked at USA Today. Back then, she was busy with her career and did not see the need for networking. But years later, she was invited as guest speaker on a JAWS panel and witnessed firsthand how the members were collegial and resourceful. Her situation was different, too, because she was seeking to expand her professional networks in midst of rapid shifts in the journalism industry and trying to find her way in a new management position. Now having been a member for several years, she appreciates the active exchange of mentorship at JAWS, especially of sharing her experiences and benefiting from the expertise of others.

Andrea grew up in the Bronx and participated in student media throughout school. After obtaining a master’s in journalism at Columbia University, she worked at small trade publications but didn’t get the opportunity to launch her journalism career until she was pregnant and worked at Gannett News Service. That temporary gig led 25 years of working at USA Today, where she did a lot of overseas reporting and savored the many adventures because “I was kind of like an adrenaline junkie.” During the economic decline in newsrooms, she worked briefly as senior correspondent for AOL News and the Huffington Post, before landing the current position as senior executive producer job for Al Jazeera America.

This oral history with Andrea took place in between sessions at the JAWS camp in Essex, Vermont on October 27, 2013.

( This interview was conducted by Yong Volz )