Journalists of the Gazette: Meet Emily Andersen

Describe your beat.

I cover crime, cops, fires and social services.

How long have you been at The Gazette?

I’ve been with The Gazette since 2022.

What do you like about being the public safety reporter?

There’s never a dull day, and sometimes I’m covering the worst day of people’s lives, but at the same time I get to turn around and talk about social services and talk to the people who are doing the work to try and fix things. There’s this sort of dichotomy between the worst part of society and the best part of society, and I get to see all of it.

Where did you go to school?

I went to school at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. I am from South Jordan, UT, just 45 minutes north of there.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

When I was 16, I taught myself to unicycle over a matter of two weeks because I thought it would be fun. I don’t know if I still can ... if you brought me a unicycle, maybe I would try it out. I don’t have one at the moment.

What do you like to do outside of work?

I enjoy visiting as many different restaurants in Cedar Rapids as I can. I like to try out lots of different kinds of food. I also am an avid reader.

Where can we read your latest work?

You can find my latest work at thegazette.com/emily-andersen.

Comments: emily.andersen@thegazette.com