Lyse Doucet

“The Rory Peck Trust is an organisation that, in a big way, tells freelance journalists you are not on your own. None of us should forget what it’s like to be a freelancer.”

Lyse has been reporting for the BBC for over 30 years, with posts in Abidjan, Kabul, Islamabad, Tehran, Amman and Jerusalem. In 1999, she joined the BBC’s team of presenters, but most of her time is spent going back to regions where she lived, and also discovering new ones. Lyse often presents from the field for BBC World News and the BBC World Service’s flagship Newshour programme, as well as the News Channel. She works as a correspondent, reporting across the BBC’s global and domestic TV and radio outlets. She also writes for BBC online and posts – judiciously! – on Twitter and Facebook. Lyse feels at home in many places, but is still Canadian. She was educated in Canada at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, and has been awarded several honorary doctorates, as well as major journalism awards.

“Who could ever forget Rory Peck? And who can forget what it’s like to be a freelancer? I first met Rory when I moved to Pakistan in 1988 to work as a freelancer for the BBC and others. Rory’s curiosity and courage to pursue the compelling stories of the Afghan war drew many to him. Many journalists share his drive and determination to tell the stories of our time that must be told. Many are freelancers who work with constant risk and uncertainty. They need our support – when they are in the field in pursuit of stories that matter, and when they are in difficulty or danger. That’s why I support the Rory Peck Trust. It’s a small way to pay tribute to a colleague and friend whose determination to be where it mattered cost him dearly.”