No, I Don't Get Danger Money: Confessions of an Accidental War Correspondent | Lisette Reymer

A no-holds bar account of what it was really like to cover some of the most dangerous and extraordinary moments in recent history.

'I woke up every day expecting to fall asleep in a different country. A blur of breaking news, airports, body armour, border crossings and bomb shelters. And wads of foreign cash. We were charging on adrenaline and there was no place we wouldn't have gone. Okay, except Russia. But only because the President's not my biggest fan. I didn't get paid danger money. I would have done it all for free.'

A world away from the Waikato farm she grew up on, Lisette Reymer suddenly found herself reporting from one of the most dangerous places on earth. And she kept going back.

Driven by a desire to tell people's stories, wherever they are; the right stories, not the easy ones - Lisette's time as Europe Correspondent coincided with some of the biggest global headlines in decades. From inside Ukraine to the Queen's death, the war between Israel and Gaza, Donald Trump's indictment, the King's coronation, the region's deadliest natural disaster in a century, the Tokyo Olympics, the hunger crisis in Ethiopia and a revolving door of UK prime ministers; she has seen and done more in three years than many journalists do in a lifetime.

This is a funny, brutally honest account of what it was really like to cover some of the most perilous and extraordinary moments in recent history. Take your seat. It's in the front row.

Lisette Reymer was Newshub's Europe correspondent, based in London for three years from 2021. She grew up on a dairy farm in the Waikato, and has been a journalist since 2014, having graduated from Christchurch's broadcasting school. She now works at Stuff as Senior Journalist - International and National Affairs. Lisette's work in Ukraine saw her win won Reporter of the Year at the NZTV awards for 2024; Best Reporter at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards as well as well as Best Coverage of a Major News Event.