For International Women’s Day, our editors were asked to share with Strathclyde Telegraph readers the women in journalism and in fields that reflect the areas covered by the newspaper.

This article celebrates not only a single day dedicated to women but also their achievements as they fight for their own dreams and for the dreams of others.

Erin Love – Creative Editor

Joan Didion
Pioneer of new journalism. A writer, essayist, screenwriter and mother. Pulitzer prize winner who smoked precisely five cigarettes a day at the end of her life. She analysed culture, wrote about American Foreign policy and was one of the first to write about the wrongful conviction of the central park five. Her novels and memoirs cover her experiences of loss, grief, pain and suffering while also helping others through her writing. She lost both her husband and daughter within quick succession and wrote about this period of her life in ‘My Year of Magical of Magical Thinking.’ Having lived during the 1960s and 1970s she would have witnessed and written about some of the most radical events of that era. Capturing them with precision and style. She is someone who inspires me and who I can’t help but find really cool.

Maddie Watson – Politics Editor

Marianna Spring
This International Women’s Day, we are reflecting on the women who inspire us in journalism. For a number of years now, I have been inspired by Marianna Spring, the BBC’s Social Media Investigations Correspondent. In 2023, Spring was the subject of 80% of all the abuse sent to the BBC, particularly due to Elon Musk tweeting about her. I find it incredibly inspiring how she is able to handle the online abuse she receives and go face-to-face with the people who send it. I have read both her books, Conspiracyland and Among the Trolls, and found her bravery and humour in trying to understand people who believe in conspiracy theories incredibly interesting. She now features on my favourite podcast, Americast, and helps show how relevant the world of social media is to American politics. I make sure to read, listen and watch everything she creates as her work is always thought-provoking and original.

Neil Highlands Singer – Culture Editor

Amelia Dimoldenberg
You may not know her name, but you do know her show. Amelia Dimoldenberg is the creator and host of Chicken Shop Date, the hugely popular YouTube series that sees her interview musicians, and other cultural figures, within the format of an often rather awkward date, set in the confines of a chicken shop.
Dimoldenberg started the series not on YouTube, but in fact as a Column in Youth Magazine ‘The Cut’, before moving the format over to YouTube after gaining knowledge and experience from writing.
It is for this very reason that I started writing in the Strathclyde Telegraph. Written journalism wasn’t something I had previously considered with much thought, however what she demonstrated was that it is an excellent and highly accessible medium of journalism to explore, test, and develop ideas.
Dimoldenberg took a form of journalism – the interview – a key cornerstone of journalism, and reshaped it into something truly unique and entertaining. Having hosted figures such as Louis Theroux, Andrew Garfield, Jenifer Lawrence, and more, she always brings a unique character to her questions that subverts the usual expectation of an interview, often responsible for some truly iconic moments.
She serves as a keen example of the ability of creators to establish fresh and unique variations of classic formats, who deserves all the credit she gets – including her nod in GQ’s ‘14 very modern icons’ of Britain, alongside the likes of Emma Thompson, Ian Wright, and Brain Cox.
If your unfamiliar with her show I urge you to check it out!

Lizzie Brooker – Lifestyle Editor

Angela Carter
I was first introduced to Angela Carter whilst camping with my family. The Bloody Chamber had come to me by way of recommendation, a recommendation that decided the next few years of my academic life. I liked the collection of short stories, but more than that, I could feel there were components to it that I wasn’t understanding, and I did want to understand them.

For my advanced higher English dissertation, I chose to study a couple of stories from The Bloody Chamber. When deciding which university I should go to, I chose Strathclyde because, ultimately, I saw that The Haunting of Hill House was on the first-year syllabus, a work that exists in the same realm of gothic and feminism as Carter’s.

Writing in the midst of second-wave feminism, Carter’s texts explored the links between female sexuality, feminism and personal identity. Never sticking to one genre, she wrote non-fiction, sci-fi, and magical realism works. Whatever her genre, she never went easy on her readers, creating texts so filled to the brim with cleverness and depth that it is akin to magic spilling out of the page.

Angela Carter was someone who did not let the world tell her how to be. And for this and her amazing writing capabilities, she inspires me.

I find Sharlene Teo’s description of Carter’s work most fitting: “To read Angela Carter is to be encased, even smothered, by a vivid sensory experience.” (The London Magazine). 

Julia Braun Raven – Editor-in-Chief

Kirsty Wark
What matters in journalism are the questions we ask, how bold they are and how they are asked. Whether interviewing Margaret Thatcher or Vivienne Westwood, the question itself can shape the conversation.

This is why Kirsty Wark inspires me. Throughout her career, particularly on Newsnight, she has shown how thoughtful but fearless questioning can hold powerful people to account.

But the questions journalists ask are not only directed at well-known figures. They are also the ones that bring attention to issues often left unspoken. By speaking openly about equality and menopause, Kirsty Wark has helped make conversations about women’s health and experience more visible. Her work reminds us that journalism is not only about reporting events, but also about asking the questions that help society talk about what matters.