About me
I’m an independent journalist based between the UK and East Africa. I cover issues of social justice, disinformation and politics for outlets such as The Guardian, VICE, CNN, Thomson Reuters Foundation, TIME, Dazed, BBC News, The Independent and Al Jazeera. I write features, investigations and news, and record the occasional TikTok, and have reported from Western Europe, South Asia and across Africa. Before journalism, I worked in communications and campaigns for anti-corruption group Transparency International.
For much of 2022-23 I was off work for health reasons, but I am now back in action. I am currently working on freelance commissions particularly related to social justice and gender. I also work in investigations for the Citizens, a media non-profit founded by the team who broke the Cambridge Analytica scandal focused on democracy, data rights and disinformation, and Eco-Bot.Net, an award-winning art research project by artist Bill Posters and Massive Attack’s 3D exposing climate disinformation and corporate greenwashing online.
Commission me: email aermccool@gmail.com / twitter @McCoolingtons / insta @mccoolingtonsphotos
Credits
- British Journalism Awards Innovation of the Year, Winner, for Eco-Bot.Net (The Guardian, TIME Magazine, 2021-22)
- One World Media News Award, Longlist for ‘From naked protests to challenging Museveni: Uganda’s 'rudest feminist' on the campaign trail’ (The Guardian, 2021)
- Amnesty Media Awards Feature Award, Finalist for ‘They were sent to a shelter for safety. Instead, these women say they were sexually abused’ (CNN, 2020)
- One World Media Popular Features Award, Longlist for ‘The feminist DJs in Uganda taking back the night’ (CNN, 2019)
- European Journalism Centre Innovation in Development Reporting, Grantee for ‘Bolly Lolly Dhally’ (2018)
- New Internationalist’s 2017 Top Reads, Honorary Mention for ‘The Joy of Kunyaza’ (2017)
- European Journalism Centre Innovation in Development Reporting, Grantee for ‘Big Men’ (2017)
- VICE Magazine, Employee of the Month (March 2017)
- London Independent Film Festival, Best Short Documentary Nominee for ‘Malawi Gold’ (2017)
- New York City Cannabis Film Festival, Best Short Runner Up for ‘Malawi Gold’ ( 2017)
- One World Media, Production Fellow (2016)
- Transparency International, Amilia Award for Professional Excellence for ‘ukunmaskthecorrupt.org’, Nominee (2015)