International Women's Day: Emily Coxhead

Within our current social sphere of divisive politics, world poverty and the threat of a climate catastrophe, it can be difficult to seek positivity. We need journalism that doesn’t censor the negative content, but also reminds us that there is much to remain hopeful for. Designer, author and illustrator Emily Coxhead has achieved this with her creation of The Happy Newspaper, a quarterly paper that prints only positive news stories.


Launching in 2015, the paper has now expanded to include online content, merchandise, and Emily’s own book entitled ‘Make Someone Happy’. This uses techniques such as journaling and colouring to provide an outlet for creativity and self-reflection. Emily’s work often encourages reaching out to other people, whether this be through sharing news stories and handmade gifts, or simply investing more time in one another. This serves as an important reminder that whatever difficulties we may be facing, we don’t have to face them alone.


Emily has proven that journalism need not be fuelled by clickbait, advertising and negative speculation, which is particularly important given the recent criticism being directed towards the British Press. Her hard work and creativity have resulted in not only some amazing products, but also a new way of looking at the world.