The unexamined life is definitely worth writing about.
Journalist and Blogger
Samantha Wood McGarry is a freelance journalist, researcher and reporter.
She is a keen traveller, based in the Aude region of France. She is a contributor to Lonely Planet's upcoming France 15 guide, due for release in Spring 2024, writing on Toulouse and the Pyrenees.
She writes on a range of topics, exploring the angles behind trends that can be missed, and the paradoxes in life. She uses the Solutions Journalism approach in her investigative pieces, looking at how small scale successes might shape some of our most intractable problems.
Her focuses include travel, entertainment, politics, and reform. She has particular expertise is in the tackling of hate, division and disinformation.
Examples of her writing can be found here:
The best 7 hikes to do in the French Pyrenees - Lonely Planet
Daily Mail Group Allowing Sanctioned Russian Data Collection Company to Access Sites – Byline Times
Energy Price Controls Work, So Why Doesn't the Price Cap?
The Social Review
The Focus
Researcher
Samantha is in the process of conducting doctoral research for a PhD, examining online harms, escalation narratives, and the effectiveness of current strategies in tackling these sources of extremism and violent extremism. This includes an examination of some of the online activity in the lead up to extremists' insurrection against the Capitol.
Her wider research interests include tackling disinformation, community resilience, understanding offending and anti-social behaviour, reciprocal radicalisation, and responses to risk. She worked for twelve years as a Probation Officer and Court Report writer.
Her work has appeared in CREST Security Review and Radicalisation Research.
Author and Novelist
Samantha writes on the various quirks in life, those that enthrall, and those that unsettle.
Her first novel, A Sin in Progress, is planned for release in late 2024/ early 2025.
She writes a range of fiction and poetry. Her first performed work was Pests, at Spotlight, Lancaster, UK's literary hub, followed by Our Eggs and an excerpt from A Sin in Progress.
Other writing
Samantha is also experienced in strategic communications.
She has worked on high profile strategic communications and Behaviour Change campaigns, including on health, science, community resilience, education and sport. She has also ghost-written articles.