Abbie Fentress Swanson is an independent journalist pursuing her Master’s in Library and Information Science at San José State University. Her graduate work includes supporting SJSU’s Ukrainian Libraries in Wartime project, and growing the audiences for the school’s library and information science video podcasts, and equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. She plans to graduate in May 2026.

Abbie has been a journalist for the past 15 years. From 2021 to 2023, Abbie was executive producer of CNN Audio’s development unit where she helped create "The Assignment with Audie Cornish," "The Prince Mixtape," "The James Brown Mystery," "Downside Up," "Very Scary People: The Amityville Murders," "Diversifying" and the sixth season of "Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta." This slate brought millions of listeners to CNN every month. “The Assignment” won a 2023 Ambie Award for Best Interview Podcast. “Very Scary People,” hosted by Donnie Wahlberg, was CNN’s first No. 1 hit on Apple Podcasts.

Prior to CNN, Abbie was EP of audio and podcasts at the Los Angeles Times. There she helped develop, edit and launch "Chasing Cosby," "Man in the Window," "Asian Enough," "The Times," "The Trials of Frank Carson," "Coronavirus in California," "The Battle of 187" and "Detective Trapp." Before working at the LA Times, Abbie developed and edited the first season of "I, Survivor" for Wondery, was supervising producer of KCRW’s "Good Food” with Evan Kleiman, and covered the farm beat for KBIA and Harvest Public Media in Missouri. Abbie started her journalism career in New York at WNYC, booking guests for “The Takeaway,” writing newscast copy for WQXR, and editing WNYC's culture coverage.

Abbie was a 2015 Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan. She’s won several Edward R. Murrow awards for stories that have aired on the NPR shows “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “Here & Now.” Abbie has also written essays for the Washington Post Magazine, Modern Farmer, The Salt and the Virginia Quarterly Review. Her reporting on food has been nominated for James Beard and International Association of Culinary Professionals awards.

She is an alumna of the College of William & Mary in Virginia and the University of California-Berkeley's graduate journalism program. She lives with her partner and their two wild black dogs in Los Angeles.