Joan Shorenstein (1947 – March 10, 1985) was an American journalist for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and producer for CBS News. She died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1985 at the age of 38.

Early life

Shorenstein was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

as one of three children of real estate developer Walter Shorenstein and Phyllis Finley. Her father was born

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and her mother converted to

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

. She had two siblings: Broadway producer

Carole Shorenstein Hays Carole Shorenstein Hays (born September 15, 1948 as Carole J. Shorenstein) is an American theatrical producer. Biography Shorenstein was one of three children born to real estate developer Walter Shorenstein and Phyllis Finley. Her father was ...

and real estate investor Douglas W. Shorenstein, the chairman of the board of directors of the

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (informally referred to as the San Francisco Fed) is the federal bank for the twelfth district in the United States. The twelfth district is made up of nine western states—Alaska, Arizona, California, ...

. Shorenstein obtained her degree from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...

, where she was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

. She later did graduate work at

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

. In 1970, she was recommended to work as a political researcher for ''

''.

Career

Shorenstein began working for ''The Washington Post'' with no prior journalism experience. She left the ''Post'' in 1973 and began working for CBS News. She quickly worked her way up after just a year, becoming the associate producer of ''

Face the Nation ''Face the Nation'' is a weekly news and morning public affairs program airing Sundays on the CBS radio and television network. Created by Frank Stanton in 1954, ''Face the Nation'' is one of the longest-running news programs in the history ...

'', and in 1979 she was appointed to producer.

Family

In 1975, she married Michael Barone, a senior writer for '' U.S. News & World Report''. They had one daughter, Sarah. In 1985 Joan Shorenstein died of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

and the following year, her parents donated $5 million to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

to establish what is now known as the

Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy is a Harvard Kennedy School research center that explores the intersection and impact of media, politics and public policy in theory and practice. Among other activities, the center or ...

. It is currently run by Nancy Gibbs, former editor in chief of Time and former editorial director of the Time Inc. News Group.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shorenstein, Joan 1985 deaths 1940s births 20th-century American Jews American women journalists The Washington Post people Harvard Divinity School alumni Deaths from breast cancer Writers from San Francisco Mills College alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American journalists Shorenstein family

Early life

Career

Family

See also

References