Sophia Smith Galer

Sophia Smith Galer
FRSA
Smith Galer in 2022
Born (1994-06-01) 1 June 1994 (age 30)
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Digital journalist
  • author
  • social media influencer
Years active2019–present
TikTok information
Page
Followers529.7K
Likes16.3M
Last updated: 1 March 2024
Website[Official website]

Sophia Smith Galer FRSA (born 1 June 1994) is a British digital journalist, author, and TikTok influencer. In 2022, she was named as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for Marketing and Media in Europe, and short-listed on British Vogue's list of Top 25 Most Influential Women in the UK.

Early life and education

Smith Galer was born to an English father and a mother of Italian origin.[1] She grew up singing in St Peter's Italian Church in Clerkenwell. She went to St Mary's College at Durham University where she graduated with a degree in Spanish and Arabic in 2016 before studying for a Master's in Broadcast Journalism at City, University of London.[2]

Career

Smith Galer began her journalism career in May 2017 as a social media producer for BBC.com, and later became a visual journalist covering faith and ethics at BBC World Service.[3]

In 2019, she started posting to short-form video-sharing app TikTok, becoming one of the first BBC journalists to do so, despite her employers not agreeing with her posting journalism content.[4] She uses the platform to takes parts in trends, receive and gather news, and post explainer content, covering gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and digital culture.[5][6]

In March 2021, Smith Galer posted an informative original sea shanty explaining how a container ship obstructed the Suez Canal, which went viral, amassing one million views in over eight hours.[7]

In June 2021, it was announced that she was leaving the BBC.[8] Three months later, she joined VICE World News as a Senior News Reporter.[9] She stayed in the role for two years until her departure in September 2023, becoming a freelance journalist.[10]

Chris Stokel-Walker of The Observer named her as one "of the biggest ex-BBC names" on the platform.[11] Matthew Leake from The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism described her as "an authority on how journalists and news organisations can use TikTok to research stories, reach younger audiences and build relationships."[12] Academic research identified Smith Galer's work exhibits intellectual virtues such as autonomy, carefulness, curiosity and thoroughness, and adapts journalistic information to TikTok to appeal to younger generations.[13][14]

In February 2023, Smith Galer joined Brown University's Information Futures Lab as one of their inaugural fellows to address information disorders and digital literacy.[15] In 2024, she co-hosted the BBC World Service podcast Where To Be A Woman with Scaachi Koul,[16] which interrogated "what it really means for women to live their best lives around the world."

Books

  • Losing It: Sex Education for the 21st Century, 2022. ISBN 9780008475581

Awards and recognition

References

  1. ^ Macmath Handley, Terence (29 May 2020). "Interview: Sophia Smith Galer, faith and ethics journalist". Church Times. Archived from the original on 20 June 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  2. ^ Vince, Christian (25 November 2022). "Sophia Smith Galer: TikTok, I'd like you to meet journalism". Palatinate. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  3. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (21 January 2021). "BBC's Sophia Smith Galer on TikTok fame and why she's 'flummoxed' more publishers don't copy Washington Post's 'Dave'". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  4. ^ O'Driscoll, Aoife (6 August 2023). "'Someone needs to take responsibility': the journalist tackling the sexual health crisis". Varsity. Archived from the original on 7 December 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  5. ^ Granger, Jacob (16 May 2022). "Tip: Sophia Smith Galer's tricks to building a TikTok following". Journalism.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  6. ^ Losi, Martina (13 September 2023). "Freelance update: Sophia Smith Galer". ResponseSource. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  7. ^ Manrique, Mar (5 August 2022). "Sophia Smith Galer: «He convertido mi descanso en algo bastante útil»" [Sophia Smith Galer: « I have turned my break into something quite useful »]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  8. ^ Ahmed, Mariam (30 July 2021). "BBC journalist Galer departs". Talking Biz News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  9. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (6 September 2021). "BBC journalists Ben Hunte and Sophia Smith Galer join Vice World News". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  10. ^ "OTB2024 - Sophia Smith Galer, Outside The Box 2024". Everyone TV. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ^ Stokel-Walker, Chris (23 July 2022). "TikTok is not the enemy of journalism. It's just a new way of reaching people". The Observer. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  12. ^ Leake, Matthew (22 January 2021). "Respect users' expectations and four other tips for journalists using TikTok". Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  13. ^ Craig, David A. (2023). "Virtual Virtue? Opportunities and Challenges in Explicating Intellectual Virtues Through Journalistic Exemplars in the Digital Network". Journal of Media Ethics. 38 (4): 224–240. doi:10.1080/23736992.2023.2265337. S2CID 263844373.
  14. ^ Negreira-Rey, María-Cruz; Vázquez-Herrero, Jorge; López-García, Xosé (24 February 2022). "Blurring Boundaries Between Journalists and Tiktokers: Journalistic Role Performance on TikTok". Media and Communication. 10 (1): 146–156. doi:10.17645/mac.v10i1.4699. hdl:10347/27613. ISSN 2183-2439.
  15. ^ Dimitri, Carl (13 June 2024). "First Cohort of IFL Fellows Showcase Their Projects at Pitch-a-Thon". School of Public Health | Brown University. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  16. ^ "Award-winning journalists Sophia Smith Galer and Scaachi Koul launch new podcast with BBC for International Women's Day and Women's History Month". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  17. ^ Waterworth, Rich (2 December 2020). "Introducing The TikTok 100 - our 2020 Year in Review". TikTok. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  18. ^ Tobitt, Charlotte (8 December 2021). "British Journalism Awards winners, pics and video 2021: ITV's Robert Moore is journalist of the year and Guardian best news provider". Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  19. ^ Swant, Marty; Hilburn, Jair (3 May 2022). "Forbes 30 Under 30 2022: Media & Marketing". Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  20. ^ Vogue (15 July 2022). "Meet The Most Influential Women In Britain: The Vogue 25 2022". British Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  21. ^ Smith Galer, Sophia (13 November 2024). "Last night I won the Georgina Henry award for digital innovation from @womeninjournalism_uk at @societyofeditorsuk 🎉 I'm so honoured. The prize money changes everything and means I can work on more AI innovation to help journalists fight disinfo and make viral video. Watch this space!!!". Threads. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
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