My break: Yalda Hakim

BBC World News presenter Yalda Hakim on getting her start in the industry.

How did you get into journalism?

I was about seven when I watched my first current affairs story and decided that I wanted to do whatever it was that they were doing on the TV. 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. My parents often wonder why I want to go to countries facing political turmoil, especially because they fled Afghanistan in search of a better life. But for me, given my Afghan heritage, and as a journalist, I feel a sense of responsibility to highlight these issues.

I started my career in Sydney as a university work experience student. I worked for two public broadcasters, SBS and ABC. But it was at SBS that I found my natural home. I would go to the station and work voluntarily for the international current affairs program Dateline, twice a week on my days off. I did this for an entire year, for free, until finally someone offered me a job. I was so desperate to gain as many skills as possible. I did a six-month stint with the network’s indigenous current affairs program, Living Black. I found myself travelling to some of the most remote regions of Australia to cover stories about the Aboriginal community. I learnt how to shoot and use a camera. I was very much in my element and doing what I loved. I was working in a field I loved and it’s not a job, it’s a privilege. I did not take any moment for granted.