Sam Barry
on The power of storytelling
As the morning sun gives rise to a new day, you awaken.
Outstretching your arms– like muscle memory– you reach thoughtlessly to switch on your bedside radio. The soothing voice of a radio host greets you: the program is "Morning Ireland." The familiar tune of its theme song fills the room, preparing you to face the world‘s most pressing stories.
You make your way downstairs to the kitchen, where your family members have gathered around the breakfast table– each one nose-deep in the morning paper. There is one open, waiting just for you.
The crisp pages rustle beneath your fingers as you immerse yourself in bold headlines and compelling stories.
With the morning hustle and bustle behind you, the day unfolds. But as evening approaches, and the clock strikes six, a feeling of anticipation draws the family together once again. The television flickers as a news anchor appears on the screen, ready to deliver the day's events. The room falls silent as everyone leans forward, their attention captured as each news story unfolds.
Nine o'clock marks the second round of news updates– a time for only the older members of the family to reconvene. The routine repeats, as you and your family settle back into familiar positions, ready to absorb the latest information the world has to offer.
“That is just the way it was.”
“The thread through them all— whether it was radio, or TV, or social media, or now Glamour— my anchor, my heart was storytelling.”
Growing up in Ireland, where the consumption of media was a way of life, storytelling ran through the veins of Samantha Barry.
“Ireland is an over-consumer of media. We over-index on our radio listening, we over-index in the amount of newspapers we read. Irish people to their core are storytellers and news sharers,” she explains.
In the year 1990, when she was just nine years old, two pivotal news moments sparked Barry’s first acknowledgement of how pivotal the impact of journalism truly is. The first was the resignation of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the UK. The second came that same summer, when Ireland made its debut in the World Cup and achieved an impressive quarterfinal position.
Whether as a writer, news anchor, or war correspondant, every path Barry envisioned for herself as a young child entailed the art of storytelling.
“It defined who I was very early on— and it certainly felt more-so like a vocation rather than a decision.”
Today, Samantha Barry stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and the impact of news media. Her commitment to the craft, fueled by the rich cultural tapestry of her home country and her childhood experiences, have led her to redefine the boundaries of the media landscape.
Up until 2018, her career in journalism had remained fastened to the world of broadcasting. From working overnight radio in Ireland, to her 18-month excursion in Papua New Guinea with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, to working at CNN as Head of Social and Emerging Media, she has built a name for herself. Having worked in over 25 countries— from Brazil to Iraq to London— Barry has made her mark on the industry in almost every corner of the globe.
Now, she embarks on a bold new challenge as Editor-In-Chief of Glamour, one of the most renowned women-focused publications in the fashion and lifestyle sphere.
“The thread through them all— whether it was radio, or TV, or social media, or now Glamour— my anchor, my heart was storytelling.”
Barry made her transition from broadcast to publishing with a comprehensive understanding of the significance of Glamour— a brand that had left an indelible mark since its inception in 1939. She was cognizant of the responsibility that came with leading a publication with such a storied history. Her transition to Glamour would entail far more than simply bringing her broadcasting, social media, and digital skills to the table; it was also about honoring the heritage of the brand, and blending the reverence for Glamour's history and its rich archives with a forward-thinking approach that embraced the future.
The challenge lay in finding a delicate balance between preserving the essence of Glamour's storytelling, while also redefining its identity for the modern era. One of the many ways Barry strives to do this is through the integration of climate-related, eco-conscious topics.
“At Glamour, we look at climate change in a couple of ways. Firstly, we look at it through the lens of the women, either making change, making differences, implementing policies, or protesting,” she says.
In her second year as editor-in-chief, Glamour magazine awarded the famed title of ‘Woman of the Year’ to none other than climate activist Greta Thunberg. While the magazine historically had only ever honored women that would be in attendance for the event, they made an exception for Greta— due to her fervid commitment to avoid air travel and support reducing carbon emissions. The decision was made with the intention to support the next generation of climate activists and storytellers— Greta being the most visible of them all.
“Secondly, we look at the topic through the lens of how climate is affecting the day to day lives of women all over the world,” Ms. Barry explains.
In March of 2018, Glamour covered the drought emergency affecting South Africa— an environmental crisis story at its core. Barry spent ample time deciphering a unique way into the story.
For Glamour, there was a way in: to explore how women approach wellness and beauty routines with a limited—almost depleted—supply of water.
“It sounds strange, but it made sense for our audience. Beauty is something we care about at Glamour, so when you are told you cannot shower, how does that beauty change?” she probes.
The third and final lens through which Glamour addresses the topic of the climate crisis focuses on what the brand can consciously do in the service of their audience to make concrete change— whether that be pointing them towards sustainable fashion brands, or highlighting climate-conscious consumerism.
“I don’t expect everybody to be climate conscious in every consumer decision that they make, but little things do make a difference,” she says.
The service of Glamour’s journalism, then, is to point people in the right direction. One angle that has worked in particular is uncovering harmful practices within the world of fashion and beauty– industries that are among the largest producers of waste and contributors to landfills.
“When we had Jane Fonda on the cover, she wore a vintage look. Previously, it was always new, new, new. Now, we're talking a lot to our audience about what sustainability looks like,” she says. “It’s not that I don't expect or have naivety that people won't spend money in H&M or Zara or in fast fashion. But what I do want is for people to become more conscious in their consumerism.”
“It’s in the stories. It’s in what we’re putting in front of our audience. ”
While Glamour has mastered the integration of climate-focused stories into their brands identity, the topic continues to struggle to gain the traction it needs within mainstream journalism.
“There's no traffic on climate change.”
“It's too big of an issue to tackle.”
“We can't get our audience interested.”
These are all remarks that Barry believes are frequented ‘cop-outs’ in the media world that prevent environmental stories from reaching larger audiences.
So, how do you get people to care about climate?
According to Barry, the key is capturing as many raw, authentic stories of individuals and moments as possible and being smarter in the way we tell those stories.
“That’s what we're called to do as storytellers and editors,” she says. “It's in the stories. It's in what we're putting in front of our audience. It's in service. It's in what we're encouraging them to buy.”
For individuals experiencing varying degrees of climate-related anxiety and distress, journalism can serve as a way of alleviating some of their emotional burdens. It is Glamour’s mission to share their first-hand stories and experiences.
For Barry, there are a plethora of questions to ponder in the face of eco-anxiety: “How do we service our audience? How do we ease that? Do we ease that by telling them where they can buy circular fashion? Do we ease that by directing them to causes or people in the climate activism space?”
While she, herself, does not experience eco-anxiety, Barry is deeply connected to the issue.
“I’m conscious. I'm a conscious consumer of everything,” she clarifies.
This heightened consciousness that she carries with her throughout all facets of her life– including her work– stems primarily from her familial roots in rural Ireland, where her parents had cultivated a deep connection with the land.
“I think that anybody that has a close connection to nature and the land in the way of farming— whether that's first or second generation— are probably more conscious of climate and its impact on nature in particular than others.”
Growing up in Ireland, climate change was a constant topic— one that, in her opinion, may be more front and center of mainstream news in European countries than it is here in the US.
“There does seem to be more of a push on a national and continental basis in Europe for climate change. Maybe it's a perception problem, but it seems a stronger issue there than it is sometimes in the US.”
As Sam Barry leads the next generation of Glamour readers, her devotion to storytelling will undoubtedly contribute to a more consistent dialogue about climate issues, and impact more action among women via thoughtful, original, culturally relevant, and empowering stories.
