It's been 20 years since I was taken off-air at BBC London due to my foreign accent. I was told diversity didn't apply to me. 40% of Londoners are now foreign-born, but that attitude hasn't changed.
Another fantastic newsletter in which many of us, foreign journalists, are finally finding the answers to those: "Why, why and why, I don't get a job in this country?". Love your newsletter Barbara! I see myself in it every time I read it. Ángela
I admire your persistence and have sympathy with the struggles you described. Ironically, what attracted me when I discovered you on Al Jazeera English a few years ago, apart from the stunning beauty and obvious intelligence, was your impeccable English.
I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that palaver. I didn’t know Sky had made you jump through all of those hoops. As you know by know, I think diversity should be celebrated. My biggest source of pride is that I have friends from all around the world. I understand the importance of being understood, my American mother-in-law sometimes doesn’t understand a word I’m saying cause I speak too fast, but accents are a good thing. I wish I’d used my French more while at the CBC but I’ve always felt too self conscious. The UK have always had such small minded attitudes I feel, which I always find ironic given the historical influences from the French and further back the Romans. I was mindful of this when I decided to become a U.S. citizen, fueled partly by the Brexit result. The idea that the U.S. accepts immigrants from around the world is fundamental to me even if in practice there are barriers to this. Incidentally I’m about to leave television news after 28 years. I’ve just accepted a job at the International Monetary Fund in D.C. I’m glad you preserved. I felt it always gave a different flavor in a positive way to have you reporting.
Hello Barbara! I read your piece when it published, but I'm back to share a link to story I've been reading, which might interest you. I looked up the story after I heard what a Jamaican lady said in a BBC interview today about Harry Belafonte. She was the first black TV reporter in the UK, but she didn't last in her job. Her contract was terminated after she'd been in the job for only 6 months... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/english-made-difficult-love-britains-first-black-tv-presenter/
A story of my 86 stepfather, who is soon to be no longer with us….. but when he was in better health, I swear the only reason he watched the news was so he could berate them (usually the BBC) for picking the wrong sort of presenters. He had a special dislike for the Welsh, who were of course inferior to the English and therefore shouldn’t be daring to tell us anything of import (ditto, sigh, anyone not southern, middle aged, middle class at least and above all else, white).
Of course I never took any of it remotely seriously and simply used it to school him in how the world was changing and tough, you’re too much of an old codger to deal with it…..
Joking aside, being forced to learn ‘proper’ English must surely be humiliating. I remember my mum sending me - aged 10 - for elocution lessons because I didn’t speak poshly enough (52 now, still annoyed about it, still determined to speak any damn way I like, still put on a posher voice when speaking to posh people - much to the amusement of my wife….)
Thanks Barbara for your pieces on the subject of foreign language and journalism. I worked in some of the newsrooms you have mentioned and I always felt 'the odd one out' because of my accent (I'd never pass a native speaker test); those times when I was on air, it was always related to issues linked to my country of birth - sometimes I wondered whether colleagues simply were looking for somebody with a foreign accent on air...
Really interesting read. What particularly struck me was that you mentioned how international news channels would be more amenable to ‘news with a foreign accent’ - yet BBC World and CNN International, arguably the two biggest world news channels, have very few presenters or reporters who aren’t from the western English-speaking countries. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is (the excellent) Yalda Hakim, who is originally from Afghanistan.
Thanks Barbara for this article. You're truly an inspiration. It's something that I can relate to, having lived and worked in the UK for many years. I also have the opposite problem, that is when I come back to Italy I speak Italian with a bit of an accent and that can annoy a few people too. It's a no win situation.
I like this article. I must say that I was eager to read as much as possibile from you but you have been silent for two months! As I subscribed just to read your comments on general life and i was not interested in other writers i decided to cancel my subscription. I am very sad for that, but probably it was me to have misunderstood how often you would write.
Another fantastic newsletter in which many of us, foreign journalists, are finally finding the answers to those: "Why, why and why, I don't get a job in this country?". Love your newsletter Barbara! I see myself in it every time I read it. Ángela
I admire your persistence and have sympathy with the struggles you described. Ironically, what attracted me when I discovered you on Al Jazeera English a few years ago, apart from the stunning beauty and obvious intelligence, was your impeccable English.
I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that palaver. I didn’t know Sky had made you jump through all of those hoops. As you know by know, I think diversity should be celebrated. My biggest source of pride is that I have friends from all around the world. I understand the importance of being understood, my American mother-in-law sometimes doesn’t understand a word I’m saying cause I speak too fast, but accents are a good thing. I wish I’d used my French more while at the CBC but I’ve always felt too self conscious. The UK have always had such small minded attitudes I feel, which I always find ironic given the historical influences from the French and further back the Romans. I was mindful of this when I decided to become a U.S. citizen, fueled partly by the Brexit result. The idea that the U.S. accepts immigrants from around the world is fundamental to me even if in practice there are barriers to this. Incidentally I’m about to leave television news after 28 years. I’ve just accepted a job at the International Monetary Fund in D.C. I’m glad you preserved. I felt it always gave a different flavor in a positive way to have you reporting.
Hello Barbara! I read your piece when it published, but I'm back to share a link to story I've been reading, which might interest you. I looked up the story after I heard what a Jamaican lady said in a BBC interview today about Harry Belafonte. She was the first black TV reporter in the UK, but she didn't last in her job. Her contract was terminated after she'd been in the job for only 6 months... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/english-made-difficult-love-britains-first-black-tv-presenter/
A story of my 86 stepfather, who is soon to be no longer with us….. but when he was in better health, I swear the only reason he watched the news was so he could berate them (usually the BBC) for picking the wrong sort of presenters. He had a special dislike for the Welsh, who were of course inferior to the English and therefore shouldn’t be daring to tell us anything of import (ditto, sigh, anyone not southern, middle aged, middle class at least and above all else, white).
Of course I never took any of it remotely seriously and simply used it to school him in how the world was changing and tough, you’re too much of an old codger to deal with it…..
Joking aside, being forced to learn ‘proper’ English must surely be humiliating. I remember my mum sending me - aged 10 - for elocution lessons because I didn’t speak poshly enough (52 now, still annoyed about it, still determined to speak any damn way I like, still put on a posher voice when speaking to posh people - much to the amusement of my wife….)
Thanks Barbara for your pieces on the subject of foreign language and journalism. I worked in some of the newsrooms you have mentioned and I always felt 'the odd one out' because of my accent (I'd never pass a native speaker test); those times when I was on air, it was always related to issues linked to my country of birth - sometimes I wondered whether colleagues simply were looking for somebody with a foreign accent on air...
Love this newsletter, please keep sharing honest news, just like this one. Love from Italy, Anna
Really interesting read. What particularly struck me was that you mentioned how international news channels would be more amenable to ‘news with a foreign accent’ - yet BBC World and CNN International, arguably the two biggest world news channels, have very few presenters or reporters who aren’t from the western English-speaking countries. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is (the excellent) Yalda Hakim, who is originally from Afghanistan.
Thanks Barbara for this article. You're truly an inspiration. It's something that I can relate to, having lived and worked in the UK for many years. I also have the opposite problem, that is when I come back to Italy I speak Italian with a bit of an accent and that can annoy a few people too. It's a no win situation.
I like this article. I must say that I was eager to read as much as possibile from you but you have been silent for two months! As I subscribed just to read your comments on general life and i was not interested in other writers i decided to cancel my subscription. I am very sad for that, but probably it was me to have misunderstood how often you would write.