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==Career==
==Career==
After returning to Britain, she worked for local radio and then cable television in Glasgow, before joining [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] in March 2000. Kuenssberg won a regional [[Royal Television Society]] award for her work as home affairs correspondent,<ref>[http://www.rts.org.uk/Information_page_+_3_pic_det.asp?id=2790&sec_id=547 Royal Television Society – RTS in your area] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925020213/http://www.rts.org.uk/Information_page_+_3_pic_det.asp?id=2790&sec_id=547 |date=September 25, 2006 }}</ref> and produced segments for the social affairs editor [[Niall Dickson]]. Kuenssberg reported for ''[[Channel 4 News]]'' prior to moving to the [[BBC]].
After returning to Britain, she worked for local radio and then cable television in Glasgow, before joining [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] in March 2000. Kuenssberg won a regional [[Royal Television Society]] award for her work as home affairs correspondent,<ref>[http://www.rts.org.uk/Information_page_+_3_pic_det.asp?id=2790&sec_id=547 Royal Television Society – RTS in your area] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925020213/http://www.rts.org.uk/Information_page_%2B_3_pic_det.asp?id=2790&sec_id=547 |date=September 25, 2006 }}</ref> and produced segments for the social affairs editor [[Niall Dickson]]. Kuenssberg reported for ''[[Channel 4 News]]'' prior to moving to the [[BBC]].


Appointed chief political correspondent for [[BBC News]], Kuenssberg reported for [[BBC One]] bulletins, ''[[Daily Politics]]'' and [[BBC News (TV channel)|BBC News]]. In May 2010, her presence was so ubiquitous in the period between the general election and the formation of a [[coalition government]] under [[David Cameron]], that journalist [[David Aaronovitch]] coined the term "Kuenssbergovision".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/david_aaronovitch/article7124535.ece|title=New Politics is here. Now let’s have new votes|work=The Times|date=13 May 2010|accessdate=20 May 2010 | location=London | first=David | last=Aaronovitch}}</ref>
Appointed chief political correspondent for [[BBC News]], Kuenssberg reported for [[BBC One]] bulletins, ''[[Daily Politics]]'' and [[BBC News (TV channel)|BBC News]]. In May 2010, her presence was so ubiquitous in the period between the general election and the formation of a [[coalition government]] under [[David Cameron]], that journalist [[David Aaronovitch]] coined the term "Kuenssbergovision".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/david_aaronovitch/article7124535.ece|title=New Politics is here. Now let’s have new votes|work=The Times|date=13 May 2010|accessdate=20 May 2010 | location=London | first=David | last=Aaronovitch}}</ref>


In September 2011, Kuenssberg took up the newly created role of business editor for [[ITV News]], and was replaced at BBC News by [[Norman Smith (journalist)|Norman Smith]] from [[BBC Radio 4]]. She also contributed towards business reporting on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s current affairs strand, ''[[Tonight (TV series)|Tonight]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://corporate.itn.co.uk/about-itn/media-centre/press-release/Laura_Kuenssberg.aspx|title=ITV announces Laura Kuenssberg as Business Editor|publisher=ITN.co.uk|date=22 June 2011|accessdate=22 June 2011 | location=London}}</ref> On 27 August 2013, she made her debut co-newscasting ''[[ITV News at Ten|News at Ten]]'' with [[Alastair Stewart]].
In September 2011, Kuenssberg took up the newly created role of business editor for [[ITV News]], and was replaced at BBC News by [[Norman Smith (journalist)|Norman Smith]] from [[BBC Radio 4]]. She also contributed towards business reporting on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s current affairs strand, ''[[Tonight (TV series)|Tonight]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://corporate.itn.co.uk/about-itn/media-centre/press-release/Laura_Kuenssberg.aspx |title=ITV announces Laura Kuenssberg as Business Editor |publisher=ITN.co.uk |date=22 June 2011 |accessdate=22 June 2011 |location=London |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110625064345/http://corporate.itn.co.uk/about-itn/media-centre/press-release/Laura_Kuenssberg.aspx |archivedate=25 June 2011 |df= }}</ref> On 27 August 2013, she made her debut co-newscasting ''[[ITV News at Ten|News at Ten]]'' with [[Alastair Stewart]].


On 12 November 2013, it was announced that she would leave ITV to return to the BBC, as chief correspondent and a presenter of ''[[Newsnight]]'', replacing [[Gavin Esler]] in the latter role. She joined the ''Newsnight'' team in February 2014.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8354077.stm Is Labour facing Glasgow upset?] BBC News, 11 November 2009</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/nov/12/bbc-newsnight-itv-laura-kuenssberg|title=BBC Newsnight recruits ITV's Laura Kuenssberg |work=The Guardian|date=13 November 2013|accessdate=12 November 2013 | first=John| last=Plunkett}}</ref>
On 12 November 2013, it was announced that she would leave ITV to return to the BBC, as chief correspondent and a presenter of ''[[Newsnight]]'', replacing [[Gavin Esler]] in the latter role. She joined the ''Newsnight'' team in February 2014.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8354077.stm Is Labour facing Glasgow upset?] BBC News, 11 November 2009</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/nov/12/bbc-newsnight-itv-laura-kuenssberg|title=BBC Newsnight recruits ITV's Laura Kuenssberg |work=The Guardian|date=13 November 2013|accessdate=12 November 2013 | first=John| last=Plunkett}}</ref>

Revision as of 06:58, 12 May 2017

Laura Kuenssberg
Kuenssberg at Policy Exchange in 2012
Born
Laura Juliet Kuenssberg

1976 (age 47–48)
Italy
EducationEdinburgh University
Georgetown University
Occupation(s)Political Editor of BBC News, Journalist
SpouseJames Kelly
RelativesJoanna Kuenssberg (sister)
Ekkehard von Kuenssberg (paternal grandfather)
Lord Robertson (maternal grandfather)
Sir James Wilson Robertson (great-uncle)

Laura Juliet Kuenssberg (born 1976) is a British journalist. In July 2015, she was appointed as the political editor of BBC News, the first woman to hold the position, in succession to Nick Robinson.[1][2]

Early life and education

The daughter of Scottish businessman Nick Kuenssberg, OBE,[3][4] and his wife Sally Kuenssberg, CBE.[5] Her paternal grandfather was the German-born founder and president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Dr. Ekkehard von Kuenssberg. Her maternal grandfather, Lord Robertson, was a High Court of Justiciary judge. Her great-uncle was the last British Governor General of Nigeria, Sir James Wilson Robertson.

Kuenssberg was born in Italy, while her father was working there for Coats Viyella.[6] She grew up in Glasgow, with her brother and sister,[7] and attended Laurel Park School, an independent girls' school.[8]

Kuenssberg studied history at the University of Edinburgh, followed by a journalism course at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.,[9] where she worked on an NBC News political programme.

Her brother is a senior civil servant in the Department for Communities and Local Government. Her sister is a diplomat and was appointed as the British High Commissioner to Mozambique in 2014.[9][10]

Career

After returning to Britain, she worked for local radio and then cable television in Glasgow, before joining BBC North East and Cumbria in March 2000. Kuenssberg won a regional Royal Television Society award for her work as home affairs correspondent,[11] and produced segments for the social affairs editor Niall Dickson. Kuenssberg reported for Channel 4 News prior to moving to the BBC.

Appointed chief political correspondent for BBC News, Kuenssberg reported for BBC One bulletins, Daily Politics and BBC News. In May 2010, her presence was so ubiquitous in the period between the general election and the formation of a coalition government under David Cameron, that journalist David Aaronovitch coined the term "Kuenssbergovision".[12]

In September 2011, Kuenssberg took up the newly created role of business editor for ITV News, and was replaced at BBC News by Norman Smith from BBC Radio 4. She also contributed towards business reporting on ITV's current affairs strand, Tonight.[13] On 27 August 2013, she made her debut co-newscasting News at Ten with Alastair Stewart.

On 12 November 2013, it was announced that she would leave ITV to return to the BBC, as chief correspondent and a presenter of Newsnight, replacing Gavin Esler in the latter role. She joined the Newsnight team in February 2014.[14][15]

BBC political editor

In July 2015, she was appointed as the BBC's political editor, the first woman to hold the position.[16]

In January 2016, Kuenssberg was involved in arranging for the Labour MP Stephen Doughty to publicly announce his resignation as a shadow foreign office minister on Daily Politics. The incident was the subject of an official complaint from Seumas Milne, the Labour Party's director of communications, which was rejected by Robbie Gibb, the BBC's head of live political programmes.[17]

Following the 2016 local elections, a petition was started on 38 Degrees which accused Kuenssberg of being biased against the Labour Party and its leader Jeremy Corbyn, and called for her dismissal.[18] The petition was later withdrawn by David Babbs, executive director of 38 Degrees, who cited concern that it had become a "focal point for sexist and hateful abuse made towards Laura Kuenssberg" on other social media websites such as Twitter although it was acknowledged that this represented "the actions of a small minority".[19][20]

In January 2017 the BBC Trust ruled that a report in November 2015 by Kuenssberg broke the broadcaster’s impartiality and accuracy guidelines. A viewer had complained about her item, which featured an interview with Jeremy Corbyn on the BBC News at Six which was edited to give the incorrect impression that Corbyn disagreed with the use of firearms by police in incidents such as that month's terrorist attacks in Paris. His purported answer to a question as broadcast in the report was in fact his reply to a different (unbroadcast) question, not specifically about that terrorist attack.[21] The BBC Trust said that the inaccuracy was "compounded" when Kuenssberg went on to state that Corbyn's message "couldn't be more different" to that of the prime minister Theresa May, who was about to publish anti-terrorism proposals. The Trust said that accuracy was particularly important when dealing "with a critical question at a time of extreme national concern".[21]

In Kuenssberg's opinion, there are questions about the government's approach to Brexit. She wrote of Theresa May government's negotiations with the European Union: "There are no guarantees that the prime minister's aims are the right ones for the country. Still less certainty that they can be achieved".[22]

Awards

In November 2016, Kuenssberg was awarded Broadcaster of the Year by the Political Studies Association. The prize was in recognition of her contribution to the public understanding of politics, especially surrounding the June 2016 EU Referendum and subsequent developments.[23]

At the British Journalism Awards organised by Press Gazette in December 2016, Kuenssberg received the Journalist of the Year award.[24] "Kuenssberg deserves this prize for the sheer volume and scope of reporting on some of the biggest changes ever in British politics" said the judges, pointing especially to her coverage of the EU membership referendum and its aftermath.[25]

Personal life

Kuenssberg is married to James Kelly, a management consultant who studied in Edinburgh and at Harvard. They live in East London.[26]

References

  1. ^ "BBC names Laura Kuenssberg as BBC political editor". BBC News. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  2. ^ Plunkett, John (22 July 2015). "Laura Kuenssberg confirmed as the BBC's first female political editor". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Nick Kuenssberg". Debretts. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  4. ^ Kristy Dorsey (4 March 2013). "Business interview: Nick Kuenssberg". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Sally Kuenssberg, CBE". BBC Scotland. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Nick Kuenssberg". caplus.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2010.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Nick Kuenssberg". Frost's Scottish Who's Who. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  8. ^ Mclellan, John (6 October 2016). "Is the art of flyting still in rude health?". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Laura Kuenssberg: BBC appoints first female political editor". The Week. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  10. ^ "British High Commissioner to Mozambique – Joanna Kuenssberg". gov.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  11. ^ Royal Television Society – RTS in your area Archived September 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Aaronovitch, David (13 May 2010). "New Politics is here. Now let's have new votes". The Times. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  13. ^ "ITV announces Laura Kuenssberg as Business Editor". London: ITN.co.uk. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Is Labour facing Glasgow upset? BBC News, 11 November 2009
  15. ^ Plunkett, John (13 November 2013). "BBC Newsnight recruits ITV's Laura Kuenssberg". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  16. ^ "Laura Kuenssberg has been appointed the BBC's new Political Editor". BBC Media Centre. BBC. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  17. ^ Watt, Nicholas; Sweney, Mark (8 January 2016). "BBC justifies decision to allow Stephen Doughty to resign live on Daily Politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  18. ^ Jackson, Jasper (10 May 2016). "Campaign to sack BBC's Laura Kuenssberg accused of sexism". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  19. ^ Jackson, Jasper (10 May 2016). "Laura Kuenssberg petition taken down over sexist abuse". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  20. ^ Babbs, David (11 May 2016). "We took down the Laura Kuenssberg petition to show sexist bullies can't win". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  21. ^ a b Martinson, Jane (18 January 2017). "BBC Trust says Laura Kuenssberg report on Corbyn was inaccurate". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  22. ^ Kuenssberg, Laura (29 March 2017). "Reading between the lines]". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  23. ^ "Broadcaster of the Year 2016 - Political Studies Association". Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  24. ^ "BBC's Laura Kuenssberg named journalist of the year". BBC News. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  25. ^ Gayle, Damien (7 December 2016). "Guardian scoops three prizes at British Journalism Awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Laura Kuenssberg". BBC. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
Media offices
Preceded by
None
 Business Editor: ITV News
2011–2013 		Succeeded by
Joel Hills
Preceded by Chief Political Correspondent: BBC News
2009–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Political Editor: BBC News
2015– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Laura_Kuenssberg&oldid=779985522"