to think Lyse Doucet and Orla Guerian are bloody amazing

[thebabessavedme]

I have been watching tv news on and off all day and I am in awe of the women i have seen, both LD and OG are so professional. I admire them greatly.

Yhe other thing I noticed was the Ukrainian women that have been interviewed, from government officals to women on the street are so 'together', brave and stoic. Even in the early hours these women were strong enough to have got up, done their hair and make up like usual and basically faced down a super power, I hope so much we will support them.

They are. But it always fascinates me what makes them tick. The adrenaline? Does it become addictive?

What a great thread this is. Let's just celebrate them all - whether or not they have children and whether or not they care what their hair looks like. I've seen some great ones on CNN too and there must be so many more everywhere.

And yes a very special place for Marie Colvin. I haven't seen the film, I'll seek it out, thanks @zigzagzigzagz

You have a point @SwedishEdith.
I think Frank Gardener's children were born after he stopped reporting. I had never considered if Jeremy Bowen had children and I knew that JS and FK did from books/articles I had read.

I just googled JB and he has 2

Women can choose to have or not have children and some men and women do not have children even though they wanted them, so it seems a bit unfair.

I don't usually think about whether people have children unless it's relevant

Sorry misspelt FG's surname

I’m sure I remember reading about a female correspondent who had 4 children. I can’t remember her name, does this ring a bell with anyone?

I love Lyse. She was so lovely on DID. Didn't think a male guest would have been asked about the impact on personal life of the job (code for 'do you regret not having children?).
She is on my fantasy dinner party guest list

If you read an article about a woman, it nearly always states her age. The same is not true about men.

I have heard a male guest be asked about not having children on DID (KY)

DH commented today on how good Lyse Doucet was. He did follow it up by saying that if he ever found himself in the same place as her, he'd have it away on his toes pretty sharpish, as he'd assume something was about go wrong...

@TheMoth

They are. But it always fascinates me what makes them tick. The adrenaline? Does it become addictive?

The importance of letting the world know the truth and it being bigger than you as an individual.

I like Barbara Plett Usher as well - she'd be played by Jane Fonda in another era.

@heldinadream

And can I add in Deborah Haynes of Sky news. All of these women are incredibly impressive. All stand on the shoulders of Kate Adie. For years and years in my childhood she was the only woman who did what she did and I was in complete awe of her.

You always knew things were getting serious when Kate Adie turned up. Same now with Orla and Lyse

@SwedishEdith

Why are we discussing whether or not they wear make-up and have no children?

I think whether they have children is interesting. I'm sure their male equivalents are more likely to have as can leave them at home. A quick Google of Jeremy Bowen and Frank Gardner both shows that haven't had to make that choice.

I think there a lot of ex war correspondents who had broken relationships or eventually decided they had to give up their jobs because of the impact on their relationships.

They often simply get reassigned to domestic issues without much fanfare.

And I think the thing that stands out for Kate Adie, Lyse Doucet and Orla Guerian is actually how long they have done it / did it for. And the fact they are regarded as more at risk than male counterparts by the public (i think this actually can be the reverse because hostile forces tend to see them as less of a threat). They are unique because they are female, so you tend to reminder them more.

We have less interest in male war reporters so ask less about private lives. They are fascinating to read about.

Ultimately whether you are male or female, you have to be utterly single minded to be a war correspondent. I think my sense of men with children is how theyve been selfish rather than a sense of what the women without children sacrificed.

I've read that war reporting is addictive. Remember them all in the bar of the hotel in Saigon during the Vietnam war?

@Deliberateplanning

I've read that war reporting is addictive. Remember them all in the bar of the hotel in Saigon during the Vietnam war?

Yes, I think I've heard the same from Don McCullin, the war photographer. Similarly about why PMs find it difficult to go to the back benches. Foreign policy/international affairs are more interesting.

From Don McCullin

'For McCullin, these two motivating factors intersect in a war zone. There, lying in wait is the seductive exhilaration that comes from taking risks, often extreme, in search of a scoop laced with danger. A double shot of adrenalin as it were. A relentless drive to photograph conflict has seen him work in every major 20th-century war zone, the Falklands apart, since the Cyprus conflict of 1964. The addictive tug of war is perfectly captured in how a younger McCullin saw himself. “I used to be a war-a-year man, but now that is not enough. I need two a year now. When it gets to three or four, I’ll start to be worried.” To me he confided, “I treat my life as though I am on a tightrope.”'

www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/famed-war-photographer-don-mccullin-reflects-on-risk-war-and-guilt/article27946371/

I adore Lyse and Olga. But got into a bizarre argument about Lyse on here a few months ago.

Olga? Ffs. Orla.