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The muse behind the news

She is tough-speaking and is a story in her own right.

Striking Channel 4 newsreader and anchor of ITN World News, Daljit Dahaliwal, may have been a familiar face in Indian households when she presented news bulletins for the BBC three years back.

But today, she is a rage in the United States with a dedicated fan following. The daily half-hour programme she presents is currently seen across America on the PRG group of 19 broadcast service stations, as well as NHK in Japan and on the Internet.

So naturally there was a huge uproar when her fans discovered that ITN's World News would be replaced in October.

But her devoted viewers may soon have cause to cheer as ITN is now in an advanced stage of discussion with a Manhattan-based television station to re-negotiate the contract.

"Something may work out," says Daljit. "That's all I can say."

In an interview with Rediff On the Net, Daljit spoke of her experience in newsrooms and of her life as a newscaster.

"I just settled in on journalism as the other alternative was teaching," says the 35-year-old former BBC news trainee. Though her parents belong to India, Daljit was born and educated in London. She has a masters in politics and economics behind her from London University.

Beginning her career in 1990, she was attached to BBC newsrooms in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

After her last attachment in 1991, Daljit remained in Northern Ireland and continued to report for Inside Ulster, the province's 30-minute regional news programme.

It was in this capacity she covered a wide range of stories relating to the troubles before the IRA ceasefire, including the IRA's huge bomb attacks in Belfast and Lurgan, sectarian killings and shootings by the paramilitaries and the alleged collusion between Loyalists and the security forces.

As the anchor of ITN World News,Daljit finds presenting the news a big challenge.

"You are dealing with different things while presenting. You have to be on top of the story and somehow, you seem to be closer to it in the studio," she says.

But she still reports. Less than a fortnight back, she presented a powerful report on the mysterious death of Lakhvinder Reel, known as Ricky, who died in October last year in Surrey, southern England. He and three friends were involved in an alleged altercation with two young white men.

Ricky Reel's family has been calling for a fresh investigation after an independent pathologist's report showed a third party could have been involved in Ricky's death.

The Ricky Reel case is being compared to the Asian community as what the Stephen Lawrence death was to the black community. Lawrence, an 18-year-old black student was stabbed in south-east London in 1993 but the five white boys, charged for the murder, were acquitted by the court.

Maybe, a strong reason for her faithful following is because of her hard-hitting reports.

"The international news programme which we present goes behind the scenes. It is more than fire-fighters just tackling an inferno," she says.

"Also I feel that the public in America is more discerning about news and look forward to interpretative journalism."

Daljit also believes that television audiences around the world tend to identify with presenters with strong personalities and a sharp news instinct.

"If one can communicate stories with a strong sense of credibility, it makes a huge difference. Talking to audiences rather than talking at them......" she says.

Perhaps, that explains her celebrity status. And she tends to agree.

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