Kirsten Elder

Kirsten has been working as a journalist for ten years in Northern Ireland. She was one of the first journalists to report breaking news on a mobile phone here - this is how she made a name for herself as a freelance journalist. Kirsten joined the Belfast Telegraph in July 2022 as staff video journalist. She is part of a small team but covers a lot of videos daily, from breaking news, press conferences, sport, entertainment, features and her own garnered stories.

As the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement approached, she pitched her own idea of a feature video series focusing on those who had lost a loved one who had worked in the security forces - and the life altering consequences of such attacks. This came from Kirsten’s experiences as a child growing up in Northern Ireland with a parent working in the security forces. She knew why her Dad checked under his car on a daily basis but as a five-year-old child, did not understand the risks. Her intention was to get to the heart of other people’s stories and give a voice to those who were too young at the time of the attacks to react. She started her research, which took five months and reached out to numerous people from victims groups. This is where her journey started, though she was initially unsure if she would succeed in a video series.

All of Kirsten’s footage was recorded in 4k and raw. She added the colour to all of them apart from Shane Laverty’s interview. She spent a very long time on this editing process, and gave them all the time they deserved to share their stories with her. Kirsten travelled around Northern Ireland to talk to the four people who were comfortable sharing their stories. These people are; Bryan Finlay, who talked on camera for the first time. Bryan’s father Ronnie was a part-time Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and was shot in front of 10-year-old Bryan, his three-year-old brother and their mother on a farm in 1991. Serena Hamilton whose father David Graham was murdered when she was seven-and- a-half years old. Also a part-time UDR man.David Hallawell, who was 13-years-old when his father, John, was shot dead in 1983. John (35) was a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer.

Finally, Shane Laverty whose brother Robert was murdered by the IRA in Belfast in 1972 – now known as the most gruesome year in the Troubles’ history. Kirsten produced a four-part podcast series, the first time Belfast Telegraph had done a four part series. The series was called ‘Lives Taken’ featuring the four people who lost a relative to IRA violence during the Troubles. For Kirsten it’s not just about the visual and tech aspects of her work, it’s about listening to people and getting their side of the story across. It remains about them, the individuals, and she has achieved this with this series she worked on - Peace at a Price.