Telling the Whole Story

February 22, 2012
Laura Hughes

“We need to notice the people behind the front line, otherwise we get an imperfect story.”

A string of awards and honorary doctorates, including one this January from our very own university for her work in the Arab Spring, mark Lyse Doucet out as the BBC’s leading field reporter. She has 30 years of extensive news coverage under her flak jacket, reporting from the epicentre of what the West has coined, the ‘war on terror’, I am determined to know what Lyse feels towards the phrase synonymous with the Bush administration. Is it an oversimplification or a justification for foreign intervention, and how would Lyse define such a consequential term? What sort of war were we talking about and what exactly do we mean by ‘war on terror’?

Without hesitance Lyse dissects the phrase: “We have war and then we have terror, I go to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what you have is al-Qaeda and the Taliban. We are now considering talking to the Taliban under certain conditions, and giving them a place in Afghan society, so it’s very difficult to define exactly what terror means.” The BBC and, especially, the international services, she reveals, are reluctant to use the word terrorist, opting instead for militant or fighter. “People want to use this most extreme word, but we live in a world where politics and militancy take so many different forms, I think we have to be very careful about the terminology we use and I am glad we are moving away from that phrase.”

So we shouldn’t allow hard-hitting political sound bites to determine military and diplomatic strategy? Then can we justify the use of the umbrella term Arab Spring? Lyse is once again cautious.

“In some places it was a revolution, others it was an uprising and for some a civil war. Where does the war on terror fit into this world?” Revolutionaries had previously been branded ‘terrorists,’ linked to cells of the fragmented Al-Qaeda. “People quickly have begun to see that we can’t see the world in these terms. So I am glad that we have moved away from this phrase.”

History is said to teach lessons. Perhaps with regard to Afghanistan we simply don’t learn. I suggested that politicians and the media should speculate, drawing parallels with the past. Lyse witnessed the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, and since 9/11 has anchored special programmes from Pakistan and Afghanistan, including exclusive coverage of the Afghan President Karzai’s attempted assassination.

“Those who do not learn their history are condemned to repeat it. There are always lessons from history, because it tells you about a people, about society, about culture. Some of this is enduring and still has some resonance.” We looked at the Afghanistan of the 1870s. “If you boil it down to its essence, it was an invading force. We tried to go into a society and a culture that was profoundly different from our own.” Fast forward to 2012, once again we essentially have an outsider entering a shattered country, trying to get two different societies to work together. Lyse’s genuine affection for the Afghan people, their rich culture and sense of humour was evident. “Afghans would say: we used to have one superpower, the Soviet Union. We now have 47 superpowers. When the Soviets were here we had 24 hours of electricity, now we have four. What kind of a super power is this?”

Afghanistan: The Unknown Country was a documentary aired last July, in which Lyse sought to get behind the breaking news and the crashing shells which dominate our opinion on this vast country. Five hours by donkey off the beaten track she found a village oblivious to the fact that parts of the country were at war. In Bamiyan she went skiing with Afghanistan’s only tour operator, as one can imagine business is hardly flourishing. She then dined in the country’s only sushi restaurant, owned by a Japanese immigrant. The documentary is a striking example of Lyse’s approach to journalism: the time she has spent in Afghanistan and her knowledge of Pashto mean that she has contacts everywhere. As the programme progresses you are wooed by the ordinariness of the Afghanistani lifestyle. Although it was inevitable that she and her production team would have to take risks – Dandahar being notable for its nickname, ‘assassination city’ – this was not what drew the viewer’s admiration. It was her ability, in such a patriarchal society, to command the respect of all she met. Her domesticity, her smile and her femininity transcended any tension her presence may have caused.

“We shouldn’t let history hold us back, in so many of the places that I have worked in the Middle East, they are always bringing up the grudges and grievances of centuries before, and this is what’s holding them back.” The Arab Spring signified a new generation unwilling to be fixed by their history, instead choosing to break out of the shackles of the past and make their own. “That’s what is so exciting” Lyse says, “take some lessons from it. It’s a balance: don’t forget your history, but don’t be bound by it.”

So who is on the right side of history? On the subject of the Israeli Palestine conflict Lyse is less positive. “They are so full of sorrow and grievance, a sense of violence, and insecurity.” She expressed the need for a two state solution, and the reconciliation of each nation’s histories. Going further, she advocated that historical compromise was the essential component of defining moments in history. We saw this in Northern Ireland. Its presence is tragically absent in Kashmir.

“Will your generation be covering a resolution to this conflict? I so hope so. In Israeli society, every Israeli, when they have their first child, hopes their son or daughter doesn’t have to serve in the Israeli army as they did. In Palestine, children hope grandparents will be able to return home. I used to spend days and days watching and waiting outside offices for negotiators. They would come out after 13 hours of talks and you’d find they’d changed the word ‘an’ to a ‘the’ in a resolution.” This is why we so revere the great figures of history: “The Mandelas of this world rise above the minutia.”

Face to face, does Lyse feel she has a duty as a reporter or as a human? “Human first” she replies without hesitation. “You see a casualty at the side of the road, you think do I tell the story first or help? You have to use your resources and help; otherwise you would never forgive yourself, but you still have to tell the story as that has meaning for the rest of the world.”

Lyse is an opinion former in the purest sense – objectivity is key and not easily attained. “All I can say is how I see it, by giving the best approximation I can, talking to as many people and gathering as many sources as possible. The questions you ask will give you the answers to the story you want to tell. If we look at Bosnia for example, the main casualties were the women, as rape had become a weapon of war. It was journalists who started telling their story.”

Events in Cairo saw Twitter and Facebook take centre stage, both for protesters and the world. But does multimedia empower the individual, the micro-reporter, at the expense of mass organisations like the BBC? “Journalism is fast moving and it is often hard to collect all the information you need, with the pressure to get the story out first.” Lyse insisted the availability of sources enhances the industry, and that we do still need journalists with their own eyes and ears, to consolidate it all. “As we are not based in the countries we cover, we can step back in a way others can’t. The BBC is still very much part of the media landscape.”
Nuclear weapons, the Kurdish refugee crisis, and the election of Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani have opened up Iran to contestant observation and condemnation by the international community. I wondered if Lyse believed the West would soon succumb to a war with Iran. In light of Iraq’s recent Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict, would Iran extend its influence in the region, forging an Iraqi puppet state and buffer zone from the West? “It is extremely difficult and the most difficult foreign policy challenge this year. I am not sure what is going to happen, my feeling is that there is the physical engagement on the ground which is part of war, and then there are the perceptions of war which have a huge impact on how war is played out, or how it even starts.”

Brinkmanship has ensued. The world is watching Iran, hoping to anticipate its next move. For Iran, the question is whether the international community will follow its threats through. Lyse, likening this speculation to a game of chess, called any attempt to anticipate Iran’s actions a “consequential and very dangerous game.” For Lyse, Iran has been demonised. Whilst she accepts that in part it is Iran’s own fault for creating suspicions about its nuclear programme, Lyse emphasised that the international community ought to remember that ordinary people live in Iran too. Mere pawns in a wider game of international diplomacy.

I wanted to know what Lyse would say to anyone with journalistic aspirations, in view of the current stigma attached to the profession. I was told to take calculated risks, to learn the language and the culture of the country you are sent to cover. “You should be willing to push yourself beyond your boundaries. It’s a dangerous and difficult time, but it’s an exciting time for your generation, there are so many options and opportunities out there for you. That’s the magic of the moment. For me journalism is about taking people along, as a journalist I say tell me something I haven’t seen or done before. There are dangers but don’t let them hold you back. Never say never.”

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