As one of Ireland’s most well-known faces in news media, Caitríona Perry is on a career path that she always hoped to follow: “It’s really all I ever wanted to do. I loved storytelling… writing stories and poetry from a young age, and hosting radio shows with my teddies and dolls. Once I was old enough to realise that journalism was actually a job I could have, I knew that was the one for me.”

With a clear view to become a journalist, Caitríona decided to do her undergraduate at DCU. “At the time, it was the only university in Ireland offering a degree in journalism, and I wanted that campus university experience. I also wanted to learn my craft as best I could to prepare myself for ‘the real world’. DCU’s faculty was then – as it is now – packed full of smart people with real industry experience. The mix of academic learning and practical training was really interesting as a student, and also really useful in the early years of my career. I felt I arrived at my first job (an INTRA placement in Newstalk) with the practical skills to dive into all aspects of working at a radio station, and also with a good knowledge base of the industry, legal issues and the political workings of the Irish State. I later returned to DCU to do a Masters Degree in International Relations, studying part-time while also working full-time at RTÉ. Again, the reputation of the course and the teaching staff, and the flexibility that DCU offered mature, part-time students really appealed to me.”

BBC Broadcaster Catríona Perry at the US Vice Presidential debate in 2024. Pic supplied by Catriona Perry

If You Dream it…

Since being a student at DCU, Caitriona has held many key positions in media, most recently moving from being RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent to now working as a presenter with the BBC in the U.S. So, did she ever imagine this journey back in her student days? “Well actually, yes I kind of did! When I got the Washington Correspondent job, one of my classmates reminded me that we had all joked at our graduation in the Helix that I would end up as the RTÉ Washington Correspondent and a few years later there I was! I did not however imagine that I would go on to be one of the chief presenters with the BBC, broadcasting to the world on the BBC News channel, with a global audience of nearly 120 million people watching me. Nor could I have dreamed that I would front the BBC’s 2024 US election results programme on BBC One, BBC News and BBC’s international platforms. But it’s amazing where ambition, hard work and a good education can get you!”

Commenting on her experience working in the US, Caitríona notes the impact that covering recent elections has had: “I would say that Irish people tend to very well informed ahead of elections, a lot of people make a point of watching debates, reading articles, grilling those who call to the doors, examining the different policies and reading the various leaflets. I have not encountered the same depth of knowledge in some parts of the US. Some people feel very detached from the decision-making process and the decision-makers. They will often parrot talking points without seeking out facts, or any different perspectives. Professionally, it has been extraordinary and also a privilege to watch, up close, two seismic elections in this country – 2016 and 2024. We always talk as journalists about getting to witness the first draft of history in person; those elections have and are shaping the story of the US.

Book Worm

Caitríona’s career path has also seen her become an author and she has written two critically acclaimed best-selling books: In America: Tales from Trump Country and The Tribe: The Inside Story of Irish Power and Influence in U.S. Politics. “I have lots of plans for more books – I just need there to be a quiet news day so I can actually write them! I loved writing those books. It was truly a dream come true the first time I saw ‘In America’ on a bookshelf. The first book came about when I got an email from Deirdre Nolan, then at Gill Books, with the subject matter along the lines of “would you like to write a book?”. I genuinely thought it was a scam, that it was too good to be true! Then I realised it wasn’t and the rest is history. The first book was all about explaining the Trump phenomenon in 2016, so maybe there might have to be a ‘Back In America’ follow-up to that one!”

BBC broadcaster Catriona Perry reporting live outside the White House. Pic supplied by Catriona Perry

The Changing Shape of Media

Traditional media has undergone huge change in recent years, in particular with social media and new technologies changing the shape of news reporting. Caitríona stresses the importance of trust and truth within media: “How we do our job as journalists has changed massively since I left DCU. Technological developments have completely disrupted it – for better and, in some ways, for worse. We now provide news and updates 24-7 and can do so from anywhere, and our output can be watched and read almost anywhere too. But it is becoming harder for some news consumers to distinguish accurate and impartial news from content with an agenda, or commentary from an individual who is not held to the same fact-checking and rigorous standards. A person with a mobile phone, internet connection and a ring light can set themselves up as a ‘news service’ but they are not subject to the same rules that existing impartial media companies are.” Caitríona continues that trusted sources and fact-checking is a key issue right now: “We have a very strong Verify unit at the BBC and they spend a lot of time doing just that. It is getting increasingly hard to tell whether some things are fact or fiction. Some of the generated fake images and videos, especially using the voice of real individuals, are so convincing and we’ve already seen them pop up in some election campaigns here. So-called ‘legacy’ or traditional media has to work hard to build and keep trust, especially in younger audiences, and one way is to be able to do the fact-checking and verifying for our audience.”

Concluding, Caitríona urges aspiring journalists to ‘dream big’. “The road might be long and windy but I do believe that hard work, honing your craft, developing your talent, constantly relearning and building on your skills will ultimately get you to where you want to be. Take every opportunity that comes your way, even if it doesn’t seem like it is what you’re necessarily interested in at the time. And be nice to everyone. This industry, especially in Ireland, is really tiny. People who are your peers now will probably be your boss one day. Tell everyone you meet what you want to do; you never know who might be able to help you or know someone who can. Get as many skills into your toolbox as you can – technical skills, language skills, general knowledge.

You have to have a thick skin and a brass neck as a journalist; be pushy, don’t take no for an answer, but move on quickly from rejection, and be prepared to work long and anti-social hours. Journalism is a vocation rather than a profession! It won’t make you rich, but it will give you amazing life experiences, and no end of stories to bore people with!”

Giving Back

Commenting on previously being an ambassador for the DCU Let’s Keep in Touch campaign, Caitriona says: “I am a big believer in giving back in whatever way you can to the people or organisations that have helped you get to where you are in the world. And it’s helpful to know about changes in the education sphere of your own industry.”