Joanna Stern '06
MAJOR: Political Science
Joanna Stern ’06 has a self-described one track mind, or rather...
“I say that I have a ‘one tech mind.’ There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not testing a new product or app, thinking about tech news or watching how people interact with their phones or computers,” she said.
The reason? She’s a tech columnist/reviewer for The Wall Street Journal.
Her weekly column, which appears on Wednesdays, is always accompanied by a video on the same topic (posted Tuesdays to wsj.com). It’s a pairing of old fashion paper and newfangled gadgetry that Stern loves—she couldn’t imagine being a journalist in just one medium.
“Thanks to the web and online publishing platforms, we have more ways than ever to tell engaging stories. Great and clear writing is still very much at the heart of that, but video adds a whole other dimension,” Stern said. “Every week, my goal is to blend good information with a creative angle and sprinkle in some humor. While I started out as a writer, it’s actually hard for me to now think about a story without a video pairing.”
Whether print or online, her reviews have run the gamut and included hundreds of products like Android phones, iPads, myriad laptops, fitness bracelets, Google Glass and even a fork that pairs with your smartphone and vibrates when you eat too fast.
It’s a job she sincerely enjoys because it's fun and educational for her, just as it is for readers. Stern thrives on knowing her reviews are resources that answer technology questions of every variety.
And she credits Union with helping make all this possible.
“I majored in political science, but crafted the major to have a strong focus on media and journalism,” Stern said. “And after starting to write consistently for Concordiensis and eventually becoming co-editor-in-chief, I became hooked.”
“I got the confidence to push boundaries and make my voice heard on paper at Union.”