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Katty Kay’s Marcon Lecture Brings Perspective, Leaves
Ovation
by Andrew Ritter '12 | Apr 25, 2012
My first impression of Katty Kay was one of nerves. Not that she was intimidated by a
round-table of fifteen students assembled to grill her on journalistic integrity: years as a
Zimbabwe correspondent and behind the desk of BBC America have seasoned her. Kay
reddened slightly, explaining, “I have to be on Jeopardy this Saturday. I just watched the
College Finals and I have a feeling it’s going to be awful.”
Such was the only moment that Kay seemed out of her element. For the rest of the student
session, she was unmistakably the authority. Questions ranged from public airwaves in
Britain to her published Womenomics, but the conversation was dominated by the American
presidential race. Europeans are continually fascinated and appalled by the American
political circus; election cycles in the United Kingdom only last five weeks and airwaves
are held under public domain. Each party is allotted free airtime, negating the need for
multi-billion dollar Super PAC spending orgies. As Kay aptly describes it, “Britain enjoys
cheap democracy.”
Katty Kay, however, is no stranger to the American political process. Since moving to the
United States in 1996, she has served as the Washington correspondent for BBC World
News America and spearheaded coverage of the pitched election of 2008. Kay was
recently named lead anchor of the program last year, which the Peabody Board has
praised as, “A nightly newscast like none the United States has ever had…it places our
actions and concerns in a global context.”
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If there’s one thing that can be said resolutely about Kay: she certainly keeps a global
perspective. Born the daughter of a British diplomat, she was raised in various Middle
Eastern countries before studying modern languages at the prestigious Oxford University,
eventually becoming fluent in both French and Italian. After working briefly for the Bank
of England in London, Kay moved to Zimbabwe and was coerced into a career in
journalism, becoming a correspondent of BBC World. Kay’s journalistic career led her to
correspondent positions in London and Tokyo, before eventually relocating to the United
States.
Despite living here for a shade under two decades, she would hardly consider herself a
native; she doesn’t see herself living in the U.S. for another decade. She admits that her
children have adopted the local dialect. “It’s almost as if they’re talking a foreign
language,” she described in a Washington Post interview. Despite her long tenure, Kay is
surprised by the current political climate in America, referring to the severe political
polarization as “the worst in a lifetime.”
Given the charged atmosphere of her lecture at DeSales University, most residents seem
to agree. The University’s Billera Hall gymnasium was near full-capacity with students and
community members. Kay spoke on many high-tension topics dominating the political
scene today, bringing her perspective on health care reform, stimulus packages, financial
regulation, and the Supreme Court. Judging by the riotous applause following her
address, her fire and insights were well-received among audience members. Still,
concerned citizens will have to wait until May to see how she fared on Jeopardy.
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