Colleen Hagerty is an independent journalist specializing in covering disasters, climate change, technology, and politics. She’s been writing about technology for Popular Science since 2021.
Highlights
- Multimedia reporter focused on telling the human story behind politics, policies, and technologies
- Bylines for BBC News, The Guardian, Insider, US News & World Report, VICE, and Vox, among others
- Writes My World’s on Fire, a newsletter to help expand your understanding of disasters
Experience
Colleen tells narrative stories through video, print, and social mediums. She’s particularly passionate about covering disasters, which she has done for local, national, and international outlets. Her newsletter on the subject publishes weekly.
Colleen previously worked as a video journalist for BBC World. She was also a host and a senior producer of the broadcaster’s social series, Cut Through the Noise, which went on to attract more than 57 million followers. Before that, she helped launch NowThis Politics from the 2016 election campaign trail. Her work has been recognized and supported by organizations including the International Center for Journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation, the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources, and Media in Color.
While she has traveled throughout the US and internationally on assignments, part of her heart will always remain in New York City, where she got her start as a reporter covering Queens and Staten Island.
Education
Colleen graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in media and communications and a minor in political science.
Favorite weird science fact
Beavers create little wildfire-safe refuges when they build dams. This is a great illustration of how it works!
Notable Work
- The Facebook whistleblower’s Congressional hearing was a ‘big tobacco moment’ for tech Popular Science
- The quest to find African American graves before they’re lost to climate crisis The Guardian
- How Facebook Disaster Groups Turn On Themselves One Zero
- Most Americans are not prepared for a disaster. Now survival kits are all over Instagram. Vox
- Emergency-management professionals are burning out after handling record-breaking disasters for a year straight Business Insider
- Portfolio Colleen Hagerty