Yalda Hakim is a journalistic force. Hailing from Afghanistan – and raised in Australia via Pakistan after the family fled their homeland on horseback to escape the Soviet Invasion of the 1980s – Yalda is one of the most fearless and forthright journalists today. Residing in London, she presents BBC World News flagship programme Impact and also reports for current affairs strand Our World, she has previously worked for SBS News Australia and Dateline as well as being awarded the United Nations Media Peace Prize. During the G20 Summit, Yalda will befronting a series of programs called Australia Direct airing on BBC World News on Foxtel.
Here she talks to Rescu. about how working nightshift, never accepting failure, a pyramid approach to her career and her unwavering sense of responsibility to her birthplace have shaped her career.
RESCU: When was your interest in journalism piqued?
Yalda Hakim: I was about seven when I watched my first current affairs story and decided that was what I wanted to do. Of course global politics and issues of social justice were always discussed and fiercely debated in my family home when I was growing up. This definitely played a huge role in my desire to travel the world and tell untold stories, especially in places where people are either forgotten or to cover issues that are no longer making headlines. Given my Afghan heritage and as a journalist, I feel a sense of responsibility to highlight these issues.
RESCU: Do you think a certain level of study is even more essential for budding journalists these days, when everyone has their say via a hash tag or handle?
Yalda Hakim: I don’t think it’s a question of being harder or easier for people starting up in the industry today: it’s a matter of how much you want to succeed in the industry and how hard you are willing to work for it. My first paid job in the industry was on nightshifts, starting at 10 pm and finishing at 6 am. This meant I had virtually no social life and spent little time with friends and family. But in the initial stages of starting your career, it’s a matter of doing whatever job is available in order to build your experience.
RESCU: Did you ever doubt your career trajectory?
Yalda Hakim: I think it’s important to always have doubts, insecurities and feel nervous. Rather than seeing these things as negatives or barriers to success, I like to take the glass half full approach. I am uncertain about what may lay ahead in the live broadcast. Anything can be thrown at me, breaking news, a developing story, an interview about a tricky issue that I wasn’t expecting.
Equally, before I head out to cover a big story, whether it’s the ISIS advance in Iraq or the kidnapping of 200 school girls in Nigeria, I have concerns and nerves before I get started. It’s not until the camera is rolling and we begin to gather the material that I begin to feel a little calmer and more relaxed.
I think my doubts about the work I’m doing at any given time, drives me to perform. Failure is never an option. And that has been my outlook for my entire career. I like to look at my career as a pyramid, I never judge one year against the previous year, but build on it, setting different goals and trying to achieve them to the best of my ability. My best is always going to be good enough for me. If I know I’ve put in 100 percent, then I feel I have nothing to worry about.
RESCU: Do you put plans in place for your career?
Yalda Hakim: For me setting goals and having a plan helps. If I don’t have that, I lose focus. At the end of each year I look at what I’ve done and then I think about what I would like from the next 12 months. I have carefully planned and executed my career and I am proud about this. I don’t think it should be taboo or shameful to say I am ambitious and will continue to work at building on my career. I wake up each morning feeling grateful for doing what I love and that for me is a major achievement in itself.
RESCU: What has been the best piece of advice you’ve received in regards to your career?
Yalda Hakim: I was told by one of my mentors to never aim low because I’ll always hit the mark. I believe I’ve always had a healthy amount of ambition and love challenging myself, so have always pushed myself to think outside the box and try different things. I don’t regret being in a hurry and devoting the last ten years to my career — I feel it has paid off.
RESCU: How do you deal with career setbacks?
Yalda Hakim: Perseverance, hard work and never accepting no as an answer. There is no such thing as no. There is always an exception that can be made and when I’ve tried every avenue and something doesn’t work out, I just believe it was perhaps not meant to be. For a long time I found it hard to deal with setbacks or failure, I’ve always been in a hurry. But more and more, as I get older and have more life experience, I realise it’s about appreciating your successes and learning from your failures. Goal setting is also important, this helps me find direction especially if I’m not feeling particularly positive. My mother has always said to me when you face setbacks see it as a positive, learn from it and try again next time.
RESCU: How did living in Australia influence you as a woman?
Yalda Hakim: I had a wonderful childhood. A combination of living in the small Afghan community in Sydney and the wider Australian society. These two things have shaped who I am today. I would say I’m definitely a Sydney girl. There’s a free spirit about it, I’ve never felt restricted. I’ve never felt like I couldn’t achieve as much as a man could, but I think that has a lot to do with my upbringing as well. I was always taught that I could do absolutely anything I want to if I put my mind to it. Australia is a wonderful place to grow up and be a woman.
