Review: No, I Don't Get Danger Money, by Lisette Reymer

In the preface to journalist Lisette Reymer’s memoir No, I Don’t Get Danger Money she promises to share, 'the ludicrous, the outrageous, the untold stories that would never make the cut for TV.' Catapulted into the role of Europe Correspondent at 26, Lisette covered a mind-boggling stream of big international stories, but as promised, her approachable and pacey account does not try to rehash the events, but to give us a fly-on-the-wall view of what goes on behind the camera. 

Her Waikato dairy farming family’s preoccupation with following the daily news bulletins clearly rubbed off on Lisette, and her eye for a story ignited following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She recalls the reaction to a closer-to-fiction account of the events she wrote at primary school: 'to call it an embellishment of the truth would be incredibly generous – it was, absolutely, a shameless lie. But when we each took turns to read our stories to the class, mine was by far the most riveting.'

In late 2021, Lisette and camera operator Daniel are deployed to Japan to cover the Olympic Games. They settle in London which becomes their – very intermittent – base from which cover the big stories across a wide area (handily illustrated with a map.) By January 2022, the rumblings of potential conflict between Russia and Ukraine begin, and by February they are crossing the border from Poland into Ukraine. From then on, amongst a royal funeral, the coronation of a new king, world cups, and riots, the Ukraine conflict is a constant pull.

Reymer’s dogged dedication to finding the story is evident throughout this book. The logistics of travel, border crossings and security are a true eye-opener, and everything seems to be done at pace, with small budgets, in a rapidly changing political landscape. Most of the wrangling falls to the journalist, often with a backdrop of needing to hastily justify the reasons for a trip, requiring a calculation of ROI for every move. The stock standard interview question, ‘how do you work under pressure?’ simply doesn’t cover it, and this is all before setting foot into a combat zone.

Despite the grim reality of the news reports from devastated towns and interviews with grieving families, which Reymer speaks of with respect and dignity, the book takes a light-hearted approach to the day-to-day. The author is self-deprecating and honest, sharing her missteps and failings with humour. Some of the most entertaining passages come from time spent crammed into various dodgy vehicles with an assortment of interpreters and security personnel. 

Budding journalists take note that despite the coveted job title of Europe Correspondent, there is barely hint of glamour. Reymer leans into the personal disasters and doesn’t hold back. Food poisoning while preparing for a live cross was clearly a lowlight, then there’s the bout of dengue fever, and even a potentially fun interview with Stanley Tucci doesn’t end well.

Early on, a colleague suggested Lisette take notes for a potential autobiography. Her decision to heed that advice has paid off in this memoir. The anecdotes and observations from between the headlines would likely have faded from memory with time. I would like to have dwelled longer on the events in front of the camera at times, and skipped some of the more detailed travel arrangements, but overall No, I Don’t Get Danger Money is a thoroughly entertaining account of a tenacious woman’s time doing an extraordinary job. Reviewed by Anna Scaife