Sarah O'Reilly Portfolio
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Redefining Politics
E-Magazine
Sep 2019 / June 2020
E-Magazine Writer and Editor
Redefining Politics was an e-magazine I created for my final year university project. This initiative was born in response to the notion that younger generations were becoming increasingly apathetic to politics.
I wanted to demonstrate how young people are still very active in political demonstration – but in unconventional ways.
My Role
Redefine Perceptions
My aim was to redefine young people's perception of contemporary politics. At a time when voter turnout was declining amongst the 18 - 24 demographic I wanted to revive awareness of the omnipresent impact of politics. ​
Is the UK ready to relegalize cannabis?
Engaging Themes
It was important to differentiate my content from themes which had been dominating mainstream media and therefore could be a turn off to readers.
To navigate this, I used a variety of stories to engage my target audiences, addressing social and political themes which were 1) Of interest, and 2) Often dismissed or censored from mainstream media.
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The highest level of audience views was an analysis UK's position in terms passing drug reform legislations. It also provided actionable advice from an Ex-Chief of Police and Co-Chairman of Canada's Drug Advisory Committee, Paul Johnson.
Paper Free
Creating a paper-free publication was a core part of the strategy for reaching target demographics.
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During my research, I found that environmental issues were a common determining factor for how this age bracket (18 - 24) voted.
Redefining Politics' surveys also found the majority of respondents got their news from digital platforms or social media.
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Multimedia Skills
In addition to writing several articles, I produced a range of audio and video content, allowing me to exercise my multimedia skills.
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I particularly enjoyed building visual narratives to overlay insightful interviews I recorded with contributors.
Prioritising Stories
In the last weeks before my submission deadline, the death of George Floyd sparked anti-racism protests across the globe.
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I made the last minute decision to incorporate this into my publication, as I felt it was an important story to report on. It was also an excellent example of youth led movements.
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Speaking to demonstrators helped me localise the issues of racism and police brutality within Ireland amd the UK.
Creative Protest
I also tried to highlight how some of the most powerful forms of political demonstration can be found through music, fashion, art and people powered movements.
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My interview with fashion journalist, Julie Bradford, shared valuable insight into how people dress to express themselves has always ran in tandem with political views.
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She used the example of Katharine Hamnett's t-shirt protesting nuclear weapon trade in the 1980's when she was meeting (then) Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
Revolution in Records
Music has always played a key role in expressing political ideas and shaping social values.
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My feature piece Revolution in Records: identified the extreme contrast in music genres and popular sound throughout the last century.
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We discovered through Gerry O's interview the impact music had on the anti-war and civil rights movements through the 20th Century - but also how it shifted people's perceptions of themselves and the world around them.
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I also explored the notion of raves and dance culture as creative protest and the importance of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity and Respect) ethos, which was adopted from the LGBTQ+ community.
Inspiring New Projects
After the submission of Redefining Politics in 2020, I continued to use it as a platform to upload articles and projects I had developed.
In 2022 it was rebranded as The Grassroots Movement (TGRM). My aim for TGRM is to create a community for celebrating high vibrational books, recipes , music and rituals.
