Mary McCool
Mary McCool is a senior digital journalist with BBC Scotland News who covers politics and public-interest stories, with a focus on how decisions by those in power translate into consequences for ordinary people. Her reporting blends live political coverage, policy detail and human-interest features, often returning to themes of justice, accountability and the gaps in systems that are meant to protect citizens. She has built an award-winning career across major Scottish newsrooms, now using the BBC’s digital platforms to reach audiences with clear, accessible coverage of complex issues.
Scottish politics and policy debates
McCool’s core work follows the political agenda in Scotland, with particular attention to how contested policies are negotiated and communicated to the public. She has reported on efforts around assisted dying legislation, tracking parliamentary moves and explaining why key figures rule out reintroducing bills even when campaigners renew pressure.
Her coverage of John Swinney’s response to Nigel Farage’s comments about Glasgow pupils shows her focus on the intersection of party politics, culture wars and education, highlighting how political rhetoric lands in local classrooms. She also covers visits and interventions by international political actors in Scotland, such as Donald Trump’s round of golf at Turnberry and subsequent agreement on a trade lead with the EU president, tying spectacle back to economic and diplomatic stakes.
Across these stories she keeps the language plain and the frame grounded in what policies mean for people affected, rather than only tracking party manoeuvres.
Violence, justice and survivor narratives
A defining strand of McCool’s work explores how systems respond when people experience abuse, and what happens when those systems fail.
In a detailed feature on a woman who was weeks away from marrying a serial rapist, she reconstructs the relationship, the discovery of the offender’s crimes and the role of friends and family in preventing further harm, giving readers a clear view of coercion and manipulation. She pairs the personal account with legal and procedural context, showing how repeat offending can go undetected and what protections survivors need.
In another piece about Stacy, whose relatives saw signs of domestic abuse but did not know how to protect her, McCool documents the timeline of concern, missed opportunities and tragic outcomes, drawing out the practical barriers that families face when they try to intervene. These stories sit at the edge of politics and social policy, and her reporting treats survivor voices as central evidence while carefully explaining where services and institutions fall short.
Major events, public life and human interest
Alongside politics, McCool consistently covers major public events and moments in national life, often through a human-interest lens. Her reporting on William and Kate attending Commonwealth Games netball and cycling events with their children reflects her interest in how high-profile figures are woven into civic and sporting occasions, and how audiences respond to them. Earlier in her career she covered the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Scottish independence referendum for a Scottish television newsroom’s online operation, combining breaking news with features that captured the atmosphere around these historic events.
She has also worked on fast-moving stories such as the Glasgow School of Art fire, where her breaking news coverage contributed to a digital team award and demonstrated her ability to handle high-pressure reporting while keeping information clear and timely. More everyday stories, such as a piece on Scotland facing temperatures of up to 25C on the hottest day of the year, show her willingness to track weather and lifestyle angles that still connect back to public services, safety and how people live.
Across this strand, her work uses simple narratives and concrete detail to make large events accessible and relatable.
Digital storytelling and cross-platform reporting
McCool’s career has been rooted in digital journalism, and she now operates as a senior journalist at BBC Scotland News online, working across formats and platforms. She has experience producing hard news and feature pieces for digital, print and television outlets, building a portfolio that spans breaking news, politics and human-interest stories.
Her involvement in events that discuss digital journalism’s relationship with its audience, including hosting sessions on the benefits and challenges of pursuing a digital career, reflects a practical understanding of how readers find and engage with stories.
Some of her work is re-versioned for international audiences, with features on abuse and justice appearing in BBC language services such as BBC News Mundo and BBC Afrique, indicating that her subjects and framing travel beyond a single domestic audience. Across these platforms she keeps a consistent style: direct, careful with detail, and focused on clarity for readers who may be encountering complex or emotionally heavy topics for the first time.
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