Sarah Woods
(She/Her)
United Kingdom
As seen in:
Design Week,
Richmond & Twickenham Times,
North Devon Gazette,
dacbeachcroft.com,
Local Government Lawyer,
The Lead Magazine
Covers:
Design- packaging, branding, product, exhibition and web.
Education and Culture.
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
Richmond and Twickenham Times.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
yes I learned to touch type at school
How is social media changing news?
It helps to spread the news and gives you ideas on the plus side. However, on the minus side there is a lot of fake news.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Thomas De Quincey
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To reach an audience with relevant and origianal stories. As well as explain complex information in an understandable way.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
It wasn't a hashtag but my favourite headline was in The Metro and it was 'Day of High Drama when a Llama Harms a Farmer'
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
I do not receive pitches instead I pitch publications.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Email, Ai for questions, calling relevant people for research and the internet.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Guardian review writers.
Why did you become a journalist?
I love writing.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No but as an English and media teacher I supported my year 9s to write a school news paper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My next story is about the design of fidget toys. But my story on the 2012 Olympics branding was nominated for best breaking news story.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Think of original ideas, read the publcation you are pitching to gauge their style and articles already written.
When's the best time to pitch you?
I do not get pitched - I pitch stories to publications.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
N/A
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I do not recieve pitches anymore as I am freelance.
What's your favorite drink?
Rio Monsters and dry rose wine.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Teaching English to secondary students at an alternative provision centre, hanging out with my kids, watching Netflix or walking our dog.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Design Week, BBC, The Guardian, The Lead, The Big Issue.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the main work I do is writing stories however the research and interviews is key to a great article and this takes up most of the time.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.