While her reputation among younger generations may be insignificant, Laura Kuenssberg is a household name for people who often read the news and political affairs. Today, she remains one of the most influential personalities in the field of political journalism.
The name of Laura Kuenssberg may not ring a bell unless you're an avid watcher of daily news, especially those concerning politics in the UK. Rising to fame in 2009 with her role as the BBC’s chief political correspondent - one of the most prominent titles in the journalism world, Laura Kuenssberg is well-known for her steadfast viewpoint on political affairs of the UK. As the British journalist announced her departure as BBC political editor in December 2021, let's take a brief look at her life and journalism career.
Who is Laura Kuenssberg
According to politics.co.uk, Laura Kuenssberg was born in Italy in August 1976 to Scottish businessman Nick Kuenssberg and his wife Sally. The 45-year-old journalist grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, before taking up permanent residence in East London. Express writes that she studied history at the University of Edinburgh before taking a journalism course at Georgetown University in Washington.
She is married to business consultant James Kelly, who, contrary to her outspoken and candid personality, always stays under the radar regarding political views.
Her career as a journalist
According to Express, after finishing her education in 2000, Kuenssberg began her career when she joined BBC North East and Cumbria as a trainee journalist, during which she won a local Royal Television Society award for her work as a home affairs correspondent. Here, she was responsible for Daily Politics, the Today program, and Breakfast News.
In 2009, her efforts paid her well when she became the BBC's chief political correspondent. Despite her promising chance of promotion, Kuenssberg decided to leave BBC and join ITV as a business editor in 2011. However, her stint with the ITV was short-lived - she returned to the BBC in 2013.
In 2015, she was appointed as the BBC's Political Editor, one of the most well-paid and coveted positions in the journalism industry. This is because BBC is the world's oldest national broadcaster, and the largest broadcaster worldwide in terms of the number of employees and news coverage. What set Kuenssberg apart from others is the fact that she was the first and the only woman ever to take the role of Political Editor.
After 7 years, Kuenssberg announced her departure from the role in May 2022.
What is she going to be doing next?
From September, she will be on BBC's Sunday Morning political interview program, replacing Andrew Marr. Her presence is expected to breathe new air into the program, which will also undergo changes in title, format, and title music. She landed the title amid competition from Sophie Raworth, who has guest-hosted the BBC show, and Mishal Husain, Radio 4 Today program presenter.
Her new job would earn her a higher salary, which can add up to £335,000.
Laura Kuenssberg's political bias
As one of the most followed journalists in the world (her Twitter account has 1.3 million followers), Kuenssberg's tweets are usually influential. Her former role as political editor of the BBC means that she needed to remain impartial in any political conversation. However, during her 7-year stint, she encountered several backlashes from detractors, who claimed that Kuenssberg was biased toward certain political affairs.
Following the Brexit and the 2016 election in the US, Kuenssberg claimed that the world is on acid, which received severe criticism from Brexit supporters. Further allegations escalated to the extent that in 2017, the BBC had to hire a bodyguard to accompany Kuenssberg to protect her.
