Lana Lam

Lana Lam is a reporter for the BBC whose coverage combines entertainment stories with Australia-focused news and global events. Her work centres on incidents, discoveries and decisions that have a clear impact on people, often highlighting unusual details or striking turns in a story. She moves between live rolling coverage and stand-alone pieces, bringing together breaking developments, expert information and human consequences.

Australia news and human impact

Lam spends much of her time reporting Australia-centred stories that turn on specific incidents or individuals. She has covered the end of the search for four-year-old Gus Lamont in the outback, following the police decision to call off efforts to find the missing boy and explaining how the search unfolded and concluded.

She has reported on a man who caught fire when a power bank ignited at a Melbourne airport business lounge, focusing on the circumstances of the incident and the immediate response.

Her Australia reporting also includes work on environmental pressures and rural crises. In a piece on devastating mice plagues, she investigates why communities are being overrun by rodents and how people and authorities are trying to cope with the damage. She covers scientific and exploratory stories as well, such as the discovery of an almond-sized crab and a tiny lantern shark in deep seas off Australia, drawing out what new species mean for understanding the region’s waters and ecosystems.

In a video explainer on whether bees have feelings, she outlines research into the insects’ “inner life” and why scientists now think their behaviour may be richer than previously assumed.

Global events and political live coverage

Lam is a regular contributor to major live pages that track global crises, political decisions and fast-moving events over the course of a day.

She has written on live coverage of the war in Ukraine, including updates on Vladimir Putin’s threat to target “decision-making centres” in Kyiv with new missiles, summarising statements and military developments as they unfold. She has contributed to coverage of Israeli air strikes that hit an airport in Yemen while the head of the World Health Organization was present, reporting the details of the incident and its implications for humanitarian access.

Her live reporting extends to severe weather and domestic policy in other countries. She has helped chronicle the death of a man after a tree fell on his van during Storm Darragh, weaving together official information on high winds, infrastructure impacts and safety warnings.

She has written on policy changes such as the scrapping of winter fuel payments for people not on benefits, capturing the announcement, the rationale given by ministers and the practical effect on households. In coverage of Wes Streeting’s remarks on “waste” in a national health service and his defence of healthcare and welfare reforms, she distils political messaging and the potential consequences for patients and welfare recipients.

Alongside this live work, Lam writes stand-alone political and security pieces that frame major international tensions. In a report on Donald Trump warning that Iran would pay “many times over” for the deaths of US soldiers, she sets out the context of the confrontation, the language used by the president and what it signals about possible responses.

She also contributes to detailed accounts of inquiries and hearings, such as coverage of a Titan sub whistleblower who told a hearing that “it was inevitable” something would happen, recording testimony and surfacing questions about safety and oversight.

Entertainment, contracts and controversy

Lam’s entertainment work focuses on the business and legal side of the industry, particularly when disputes spill into public view. In her coverage of Kyle Sandilands, she reports on the radio shock jock’s $12m payout after a cancelled contract, explaining the background to the deal, the reasons the contract was terminated and how the settlement was reached. She treats entertainment figures as players in larger systems of contracts, broadcasters and regulators, giving attention to both the personalities involved and the structures that shape their fortunes.