This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
Victoria Rubadiri: Lessons from a Top News Anchor ¶
Published on August 4, 2020
Citizen TV anchor Victoria Rubadiri has been a household name in Kenya for years, known for her exceptional reporting skills and her ability to tackle tough stories. In a recent interview with KTN News presenter Joy Doreen Bira, Rubadiri shared some valuable insights on what drives her to be among the top news anchors in Kenya.
According to Rubadiri, she considers herself a student and is always open to learning. She credits her success to her willingness to learn and adapt to new situations, saying, "I have not yet established myself in this field. I consider myself to still be in the starting process despite amassing over a decade in the industry. All I do is I look past and conduct an audit of what I have done in a certain past period then think about what to do in the next period."
Rubadiri also spoke about the challenges faced by women in the industry, saying that they are often judged on the genre of their stories and are expected to do political interviews, which many argue sits well with men. However, she emphasized that the impact of a story matters too, saying, "People judge you on whether you can do a political interview which many argue sits well with men. However, the impact matters too. I meet a lot of people who tell me that a story or an interview I did changed their lives, or that they never knew an aspect of people such as the divorced until they watched my interview."
On the topic of journalists being blamed for being relaxed and satisfied once they have completed a story, Rubadiri advised scribes to step out often and look at the bigger picture, saying, "We cannot rest on our laurels and forget that we have such an important responsibility of being custodians of news. Hopefully, we can have the show this week (In August 2020),"
Rubadiri also announced that she is in the process of unveiling a new segment which will aid in recalling the big stories which were not followed up on. The segment will challenge the industry to keep people in power under check and balance as the stories have an impact on Kenyans' livelihoods.
