James West (Australian journalist)
Encyclopedia
James West is an Australian journalist
, and author
. He lives in Sydney, Australia
.
He was born in Sydney and attended high school at Barker College
, an independent school in Hornsby
, a North Shore
suburb of Sydney. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney
(Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications) and New York University
(Masters of Journalism). He has worked as a radio producer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
in Sydney
, in Beijing
as a Foreign Expert at China Radio International
where he was the inaugural producer of leading Australian podcast
Mr Science Show
, and as Producer of Triple J
's national, daily current affairs program, Hack
. He has also worked in television as a producer of the Insight
program at SBS Television.
His memoir, Beijing Blur (ISBN 9780143006756), was published by Penguin Books
in Australia in June 2008. The book is an account of West's time in Beijing in 2005-06, particularly at China Radio International, and also includes chapters on capital punishment
, Chinese punk rock
music
, blogging, and China's gay and lesbian culture
. It is published in the USA and Canada by Cuttyhunk/Landsdown Books, and in the UK by Crimson Publishing.
West gained international attention after posting a YouTube
video asking to be invited to the Tran family Thanksgiving dinner in Florida
, having received their personal emails for 3 years. The video, and subsequent journey from Sydney
to Florida
gained press attention in Australia and the US.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He lives in Sydney, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
He was born in Sydney and attended high school at Barker College
Barker College
Barker College is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school, located in Hornsby, a North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1890 by the Reverend Henry Plume at Kurrajong Heights, Barker is an all-boys school from Kindergarten to Year 9, and co-educational from...
, an independent school in Hornsby
Hornsby, New South Wales
* Highest Maximum Temperature: 42 °C* Lowest Maximum Temperature: 4.9 °C* Warmest Month: January* Coolest Month: July* Highest Precipitation: February* Lowest Precipitation: July-Notable residents:...
, a North Shore
North Shore (Sydney)
The North Shore is an informal term used to describe the primarily residential area of northern metropolitan Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The term usually refers to the suburbs located on the north shore of Sydney Harbour between Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River, up to...
suburb of Sydney. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
(Bachelor of Arts in Media and Communications) and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
(Masters of Journalism). He has worked as a radio producer for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
as a Foreign Expert at China Radio International
China Radio International
China Radio International , the former Radio Beijing and originally Radio Peking, founded on December 3 of 1941, is one of the three state-owned media in China along with China National Radio and China Central Television in the People's Republic of China .As the PRC's external radio station, CRI...
where he was the inaugural producer of leading Australian podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
Mr Science Show
Mr Science Show
Mr Science Show is an Australian science podcast. The show originated on China Radio International in 2006, and was broadcast on China Drive until 2008, at which point it became a podcast. The show in China was broadcast in English and produced in Beijing, with creator Marc West interviewed down...
, and as Producer of Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's national, daily current affairs program, Hack
Hack (radio program)
Hack is the title of a current affairs radio program on Australian national radio broadcaster Triple J.The show began at the start of 2004 after a shake up of the station's programming. The previous current affairs program, The Morning Show from 9 a.m. to midday, was axed and the half-hour Hack...
. He has also worked in television as a producer of the Insight
Insight (Australian TV program)
Insight is an current affairs television program, broadcast on the SBS network.-History:Insight started out as a national domestic current affairs program dealing primarily with Australian issues, while Dateline covered international ones....
program at SBS Television.
His memoir, Beijing Blur (ISBN 9780143006756), was published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
in Australia in June 2008. The book is an account of West's time in Beijing in 2005-06, particularly at China Radio International, and also includes chapters on capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, Chinese punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, blogging, and China's gay and lesbian culture
Homosexuality in China
Homosexuality in China refers to homosexuality in Chinese culture; which, as a term, is relatively ambiguous in the contemporary context, although many instances have been recorded in the dynastic histories.-Terminology in China:...
. It is published in the USA and Canada by Cuttyhunk/Landsdown Books, and in the UK by Crimson Publishing.
West gained international attention after posting a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video asking to be invited to the Tran family Thanksgiving dinner in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, having received their personal emails for 3 years. The video, and subsequent journey from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
gained press attention in Australia and the US.