Thread by @LowyInstitute

The 2021 Lowy Institute Media Lecture by @BBCYaldaHakim is about to commence. We'll share highlights from the event in this thread. You can join the audience by registering here: mediaaward.lowyinstitute.org

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: I've seen the horrors of war and what that does - the impact of that on a community and a society. But I think what I didn't really ever grasp, or fully understand is when you, yourself, become very much part of the story, when the story is so personal to you.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: I have now, eight weeks after the fall of Kabul really started to think about whether this has been a liability or a strength as a journalist. And I'm really having a moment of soul searching.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim on her on-air call with Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen: I was midway through an interview, and I thought - I have to take this call, it is... the call that everyone wants to hear more than anything: the Taliban, what their intentions are, and what's actually going on.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: It really made me think about the importance of storytelling, the importance of getting to the truth… In those moments when the stories are so big, and when things are unfolding, people do tune in, people do watch, and want us to hold those in power accountable.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: There are two words that come to mind - abandonment and betrayal - when it comes to this particular story. It's difficult, incredibly difficult when you're on air.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: I've ... mastered the art of compartmentalizing, and being able to put my personal feelings towards the story to one side, and address an issue which is in the public interest and for public good.

@BBCYaldaHakim On the Taliban's approach to women: Boys have been able to go to school, girls under the age of 12 have been able to go to school, but teenage girls in secondary school have not. So, read between the lines.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: They're saying that they're waiting for the situation to become more secure. But there is no war. As far as the Taliban are concerned, there is no fighting. So what is the issue then with teenage girls?

@BBCYaldaHakim On Australians working in journalism around the world: "We are tenacious, we are persistent, we don't take no for an answer."

@BBCYaldaHakim On the role of journalism in the information 'landscape': It's not about being first, it's not about being the first to put out that tweet, or the first to have that bit of breaking news. It's about being accurate.

@BBCYaldaHakim Hakim: Some of the benefits of the pandemic on journalism has been … local staff that we've had in different bureaus across the globe have stepped up. We've seen journalists tell stories about their own community. That changed the nature of how we were able to tell the story.

@BBCYaldaHakim Today's Lowy Institute Media Lecture by @BBCYaldaHakim was hosted by Executive Director @mfullilove.

A recording of the lecture will be available shortly at mediaaward.lowyinstitute.org