Kate Adie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate Adie
CBE DL
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Adie at the Gibraltar International Literary Festival in 2017
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Kathryn Adie
19 September 1945 Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England
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| Alma mater | University of Newcastle upon Tyne (BA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
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Notable credit(s)
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Chief News Correspondent for BBC News |
| Awards | Richard Dimbleby Award (1990) Fellowship Award (2018) |
Kathryn Adie (born 19 September 1945) is a famous English journalist. She was the main news reporter for BBC News from 1989 to 2003. During this time, she reported from many war zones around the world.
After leaving the BBC in 2003, she started working as a freelance reporter. She often presents From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio 4.
Contents
Early life and education
Kate Adie was born in Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England. She was adopted as a baby by John and Maud Adie, who lived in Sunderland. She grew up in Sunderland.
In 1993, she found her birth mother and they had a loving relationship for over 20 years. She went to Sunderland Church High School. Later, she studied at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. She earned a degree in Scandinavian Studies. She also acted in several plays while at university.
Career in journalism
Starting in radio
Kate Adie began her career at BBC Radio Durham after finishing university. From 1971 to 1975, she worked at BBC Radio Bristol. There, she hosted a show called 'Womanwise'.
Moving to television
By 1977, Kate Adie was a news reporter for BBC South. She worked in Plymouth and Southampton. In 1979, she moved to BBC national television news.
A big moment in her career happened in May 1980. She was the first reporter on the scene when the Special Air Service (SAS) ended the Iranian Embassy siege. She reported live while hiding behind a car. Smoke bombs were exploding and SAS soldiers were rescuing hostages. Her brave reporting of this event made her very well-known.
After this, Kate Adie was often sent to report on major disasters and conflicts. These included The Troubles in Northern Ireland and the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. She became the Chief News Correspondent in 1989. She held this important role for 14 years.
Reporting from conflict zones
One of her most important assignments was reporting on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China. She was reportedly hurt when a bullet grazed her arm. She was running through Tiananmen Square during the protests. She later said that her team was the only one in the square. This meant they saw "the massacre by the Chinese army of its own citizens." She said, "... at least we were there and we have the evidence of what they did."
She also reported from the Gulf War and the war in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. She covered the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the war in Sierra Leone in 2000. When reporting from dangerous places, she often wore a flak jacket and her pearl earrings.
While reporting in Bosnia, her leg was injured. She also met Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić. People joked about her bravery, saying "a good decision is getting on a plane at an airport where Kate Adie is getting off." This meant she was always going into dangerous places.
After the BBC
In 2003, Kate Adie retired from her role as Chief News Correspondent at the BBC. She then became a freelance journalist. She gives reports on Radio New Zealand and is a public speaker. She also takes part in many episodes of From Our Own Correspondent on BBC Radio 4.
In 2017, she was a speaker at the Gibraltar International Literary Festival. On January 7, 2019, Kate Adie became the Chancellor of Bournemouth University. She told journalism students that checking information and news sources is very important. She stressed that reporters must personally check their facts.
Awards and recognition
Kate Adie has received many awards and honours for her work:
- BAFTA Richard Dimbleby Award (1990)
- OBE (1993)
- Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset (2013)
- BAFTA Fellowship (2018)
- CBE (2018)
She has also received honorary degrees from several universities, including:
- York St John University
- Nottingham Trent University
- University of Bath
- Loughborough University
- Honorary Professor of Journalism at the University of Sunderland
- Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Plymouth University (2013)
Personal life
Kate Adie lives in Cerne Abbas, Dorset.
Charitable work
Kate Adie is involved with several charities. In 2017, she became an ambassador for SSAFA. This is the UK’s oldest military charity. She is also an ambassador for SkillForce and Farm Africa. In July 2018, she became an Ambassador for the medical charity Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal.
She is a fan of Sunderland AFC, a football club. In 2011, she took part in a charity event for the Sunderland A.F.C. charity, Foundation of Light.
Works
- The Kindness of Strangers (2002) – her autobiography
- Corsets to Camouflage: Women and War (2003)
- Nobody's Child: A Story of Adoption and Discovery (2005)
- Into Danger: Risking Your Life for News (2008)
- Fighting on the Home Front: The Legacy of Women in World War One (2013)
See also
In Spanish: Kate Adie para niños
