Lyse Doucet, C.M., O.B.E., Chief Correspondent, BBC World News

Lyse Doucet is no stranger to change. Bearing witness to some of the world’s biggest news stories has been her stock-in-trade for more than 40 years. As an award-winning journalist and Chief International Correspondent for BBC World News television, Doucet has reported from around the world, including most recently from Ukraine, Syria, and Türkiye. On Wednesday, March 8 – International Women’s Day – Lyse Doucet will speak at the 2023 Inspiring Leadership Forum presented by TD. She took time during a quick travel layover between assignments to talk about the power of storytelling, journalism’s existential crisis, and some early indicators of where life was going to take her.

What drew you to a life in journalism?

I once found a late slip from our local library for a book “How to be a Journalist” so I guess this is proof I wanted to be a journalist since high school days. I also wanted to start out as a foreign correspondent, not a local reporter, so I signed up for a volunteer placement with Canadian Crossroads International which took me to a village in Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) in West Africa. It was the best place to start, in the heat and dust. From there, it was one of those magical opportunities, “right place, right time.” The BBC was setting up its first West Africa office in the capital Abidjan. There I was, wrong accent, wrong country, wrong CV. But I started out with the BBC, and am still here. Being a journalist for me is like a life-long education. I still marvel to this day that I can go anywhere around the world, knock on a door and people will answer my questions. It’s the greatest privilege in the world to be able to ask questions, and often to do it smack in the middle of history.

Being a journalist for me is like a life-long education. I still marvel to this day that I can go anywhere around the world, knock on a door and people will answer my questions. It’s the greatest privilege in the world to be able to ask questions, and often to do it smack in the middle of history. Lyse Doucet, C.M. O.B.E., Chief International Correspondent, BBC World News

What capacity to you think journalism has to effect change?

Journalists like to believe our stories have the power to change situations, change policies, change the world. It’s partly what drives many of us. But we learn, over time, that change is hard to achieve, even to influence. But I’d like to think our work does make people stop and think, sometimes laugh, sometimes even cry. I’ve seen very good journalism can change minds. The highest compliment is to be told we and our work are respected and trusted. These are precious gifts. Once lost, they are hard to regain.

How has the practice changed since you began – how do you think public perception of journalism has changed?

I always say these are the best and worst of times for journalism. The best because technology has transformed our profession beyond recognition, allowing us to report, with just a cellphone if necessary, from almost anywhere in the world; it gives us a dazzling array of tools to enhance our storytelling, and ever changing platforms and formats to reach our audiences. The worst of times because we are now in a battle over the very essence of our profession – truth. In some ways it is an existential crisis for journalism – everyone can convey information now, anyone can create their own truth by choosing or creating their own facts. In some ways it is good to be challenged. We have to get better at what we do to keep people watching, listening, and reading. I work for a public broadcaster; this battle for audiences and truth telling is at the heart of what we do.

How has the work changed you personally?

Sometimes journalists are demonised. We can be accused of taking sides, of being biased. We can all be lumped together. I can only speak for the kind of journalism I belong to, what they now call “main stream media” (which for the critics becomes MSM). I work for a public broadcaster which requires me not to take sides, not to campaign or advocate.

What do you wish more people knew about your job?

Journalists are only human too, trying to do our best, get as close as possible to the truth. I engage with critics on social media, try to make them understand I see their point of view, try to convey I am not against them, that’s not journalism I and my colleagues as public broadcasters engage in. We need to listen to all points of view for a more nuanced and empathetic understanding of our world.

Don’t miss Lyse Doucet’s keynote presentation at the University of Regina’s 2023 Inspiring Leadership Forum presented by TD. Livestream tickets are still available.

Lyse’s presentation begins at 10:45 a.m.

Livestream ticket holders will have access to a recording of all livestreamed presentations through March 31, 2023.