Jo Price

Jo Price: A Decade of Wildlife Storytelling Excellence

For nearly a decade, Jo Price has shaped environmental discourse as deputy editor of BBC Wildlife Magazine, combining scientific rigor with accessible storytelling. Her career trajectory reveals a journalist deeply committed to bridging the gap between academic research and public understanding of ecological issues.

Career Evolution: From Automotive to Zoological Journalism

• 2012 Breakthrough: Won Phil Llewellin Student Journalist of the Year Award for automotive writing before pivoting to environmental journalism
• 2016 Transition: Joined BBC Wildlife team, initially covering human-wildlife conflict stories
• 2020 Promotion: Became deputy editor, overseeing the Wild Times section and digital content strategy

Defining Works: Three Pillars of Environmental Reporting

• Walrus Conservation Deep Dive Price's 2024 investigation into Atlantic walrus populations combined satellite tracking data with Indigenous knowledge from Greenlandic hunters. The 3,200-word feature revealed how melting sea ice has forced walruses to alter millennia-old migration patterns, using never-before-published IUCN research. Her inclusion of Sámi community perspectives set a new standard for inclusive environmental reporting in UK media.
• The article's impact led to parliamentary questions about UK funding for Arctic conservation programs. Marine biologists praised its nuanced explanation of trophic cascades, using walrus foraging patterns to demonstrate broader ecosystem vulnerabilities.
• Kiwi: The Honorary Mammal This 2023 profile of New Zealand's flightless kiwi bird redefined species storytelling. Price spent 72 hours with DOC rangers on Kapiti Island, documenting nocturnal kiwi behaviors through thermal imaging. Her innovative approach compared kiwi bone density scans to mammal x-rays, supporting the "honorary mammal" thesis through paleontological evidence.
• The piece sparked international interest in convergent evolution, cited by 17 academic papers within six months of publication. Conservation groups reported a 40% increase in kiwi adoption program signups following its release.
• Sewage Spill Accountability Investigation Price's 2025 exposé on UK water companies combined Freedom of Information requests with citizen science data. She mapped 12,000 sewage discharge events against protected wetland areas, revealing 87% of nature reserves received untreated effluent during heavy rainfall.
• The investigation's interactive maps became DEFRA's primary reference during environmental penalty hearings. Price's follow-up interviews with Thames Water executives set new precedents for corporate transparency in environmental reporting.

Strategic Pitching Guidance

1. Lead with Localized Conservation Successes

Price prioritizes solutions-oriented stories, particularly those demonstrating community-led habitat restoration. Her RSPB Newport Wetlands coverage (2024) exemplifies this preference. Successful pitches should include measurable biodiversity metrics and before/after ecosystem surveys.

2. Highlight Interdisciplinary Research

Articles like her Gila monster venom study (2023) show Price's knack for connecting biochemistry to conservation. Pitch studies where laboratory findings have direct field applications, especially those involving university-NGO partnerships.

3. Leverage Citizen Science Data

Price's hedgehog highway project analysis (2022) used data from 1,400 suburban gardens. Proposals should include verified datasets from platforms like iNaturalist or Zooniverse, particularly those showing multi-year trends.

4. Avoid Anthropomorphic Framing

While Price's work is accessible, she avoids sentimentalizing wildlife. Pitches describing animal "families" or "emotional journeys" without ethological basis get rejected. Focus instead on adaptive behaviors documented through peer-reviewed observation.

5. Propose Underrepresented Species

Her 2024 series on UK freshwater invertebrates broke website traffic records. Prioritize pitches about uncharismatic megafauna or overlooked keystone species, especially those with newly discovered ecological roles.

Industry Recognition

"Price's walrus feature represents the gold standard in science communication - equally rigorous and riveting."
- Dr. Miriam Clegg, Marine Biology Today

• 2022 Guild of Environmental Journalists Award: Won for innovative use of bioacoustic recordings in urban wildlife reporting
• 2024 BAFTA Shortlist: Consulted on Attenborough documentary's marine pollution episode
• 2025 Royal Society Partnership Prize: Recognized for bridging academic and public understanding of trophic cascades