BBC Broadcaster & Journalist Kate Adiie talks to students

A group of Wey Valley Academy English GCSE students were invited to an event with guest speaker and veteran BBC broadcaster and journalist Kate Adiie. The title of her talk ‘ My life at the BBC – A Performing Art’. Her career with the BBC began, after graduation, as a station assistant at BBC Radio Durham. From 1971 to 1975 she was at Radio Bristol, where she presented ‘ Womanwise’. In 1976 , she was a regional TV news reporter before a move to BBC national television news in 1979. Adie is known as a feminist and specifically as a war zone reporter.

Adie was also regularly sent to report on disasters and conflicts throughout the 1980s, including The Troubles in Northern Ireland , the American bombing of Tripoli in 1986 and the Lockerbie bombing of 1988. She was promoted to Chief News Correspondent in 1989. One of the most significant assignments was to report on Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 where she was injured after being grazed by a bullet which had ‘shaved the skin off her arm’.

During the session with the students Adie relayed that communication and performance had been key to the success of her career . Adie said ‘ questioning is critical in order to elicit answers – use questions such as why, where, how, which, when – look people in the face and use your eyes’. She then presented an eclectic  series of BBC clips involving her journalism . Adie added ‘watch the news – it has an impact on you – look at and observe the world around you – different countries and their values – social, cultural and political’.

A Year 10 student said ‘ the session has inspired me to become a reporter for the BBC when I am older’. Head of Performing Arts and Teaching and Learning Challenge Lead , Mark Chutter exclaimed ‘the session from Kate Adie was inspiring and really made the students think about how the news is presented and the world around them . My thanks to Kate Adie for speaking in such a way that inspired our students – Adie commanded her audience throughout – a truly thrilling experience for all ‘.

To read the Dorset Echo article please click here