Brea Jones

Highlights

The communication revolution we are in is good for people such as me: nosy, curious people who love news. It is the challenge for my generation of newsgatherers to innovate, explore and create. Jobs that existed decades ago may not exist soon, and jobs reporters of the past never dreamed of are mandatory.

I don’t know how my grandchildren will get news, but I want to be a part of how my peers do. I try to improve every project I am a part of. In the world of the Web, this often equates to brainstorming and hard work.

Background

On May 21, 2006, I graduated from California State University, Chico, with Bachelor of Arts degrees in news-editorial journalism and political science and a minor in human communication. I was the sole spring 2006 graduate in journalism or political science with the distinction of summa cum laude, which placed me in the top 1 percent of the university.

I spent the summer following graduation as the Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information Act intern for the Society of Professional Journalists in Indianapolis.

I started at The Record as a night updater in 2006. I was promoted to Web content producer in summer 2007 and then to Online Editor in October 2007. I now lead a three-person Web team that produces breaking news, multimedia and user-generated content.

Interests

I don’t spend all of my time behind a computer screen. Live music, funky restaurants, dance clubs and quiet coffee houses rank among my favorite indoor places. I enjoy nearly anything outdoors, such as hiking, camping, snowboarding, running and frisbee. I love to travel — I visited 21 states in 2006 on my way to and from Indianapolis. I spend many weekends exploring all that Northern California has to offer, whether it is big-city life in San Francisco, or quiet hikes in the Mother Lode.