Jo Coburn
Encyclopedia
Jo Coburn is a British journalist
and political correspondent for BBC News
, previously with special responsibility for BBC Breakfast
. She has also previously worked as BBC
political correspondent for London
, most notably during the 2000 London Mayoral election
. She is currently an occasional relief presenter on the BBC News Channel and a regular presenter of The Daily Politics
alongside Andrew Neil
. She has presented on BBC Radio Four in the past. and can sometimes be heard on the weekend current affairs programme The World This Weekend
. Jo started her career by accident, in community radio. She has worked for a number of local radio stations in the Thames Valley, including Mix 96
Aylesbury, Fox FM Oxford, and Star FM
in Slough.
She is a fluent speaker of German
.
for four years, Coburn joined BBC Breakfast
in 2001 as a political correspondent. She had first come to prominence when she covered events surrounding the 2000 London Mayoral election
, and she went on to cover the 2001 general election
. During her time at BBC Breakfast she covered events surrounding the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq war, and returned from maternity leave in 2005 to report on that year's general election
. She spent some time presenting on the BBC News Channel and three months as presenter of Radio Four
's political events programme The World This Weekend
. She also covered the 2007 French presidential election and the European Constitution. In 2008, she was part of press pack during British prime minister Gordon Brown
's visits to both Afghanistan and to Beijing for the closing days of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
weekday political programme The Daily Politics
in 2008, presenting the show alongside Andrew Neil
on Thursdays. From January 2010, she took on Anita Anand
's role, presenting four days a week while Anand was away on maternity leave. Anand returned to the show in September 2010 meaning Coburn returned to presenting on the programme one day a week, this time on Fridays. On 5 May 2010 she joined Neil to present the final Daily Politics election debate, The Trust in Politics Debate, before the 2010 general election. The debate featured contributions from Harriet Harman
, Sir George Young
, Lynne Featherstone
and Adam Price
. In July 2011 Anand left the programme to present a new show on 5 Live meaning that Jo Coburn would become a full-time co-presenter from September along with Neil.
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 political correspondent for BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, previously with special responsibility for BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
. She has also previously worked as BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
political correspondent for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, most notably during the 2000 London Mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2000
The first election to the office of Mayor of London took place on 4 May 2000.-Results:¹Under the Supplementary Vote system, if no candidate receives 50% of 1st choice votes, 2nd choice votes are added to the result for the top two 1st choice candidates...
. She is currently an occasional relief presenter on the BBC News Channel and a regular presenter of The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
alongside Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
. She has presented on BBC Radio Four in the past. and can sometimes be heard on the weekend current affairs programme The World This Weekend
The World This Weekend
The World This Weekend was launched on 17 September 1967. It is a weekly news and current affairs programme broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm on BBC Radio 4 every Sunday, essentially the Sunday version of The World at One....
. Jo started her career by accident, in community radio. She has worked for a number of local radio stations in the Thames Valley, including Mix 96
Mix 96 (Aylesbury)
Mix 96 is the Independent Local Radio station for the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England.- History :First airing in 1994, it was the first radio station to gain a permanent licence to broadcast from Aylesbury...
Aylesbury, Fox FM Oxford, and Star FM
Time 106.6
Time 106.6 is a local radio station for East Berkshire, South Bucks, North Surrey and the Heathrow area of London. The station plays a variety of music from the latest songs to music from the 80s, 90s and 00s from various genres. The station strapline is "All Time Favourites"...
in Slough.
She is a fluent speaker of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Career
After working as a regional correspondent for BBC LondonBBC London
BBC London is the BBC English Region producing local radio, television, teletext and online services in London and parts of the surrounding area. Its output includes the daily BBC London News and the weekly Politics Show on television, the BBC London 94.9 radio station and local coverage of the...
for four years, Coburn joined BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast
BBC Breakfast is the morning television news programme simulcast on BBC One and the BBC News channel. It is presented live from BBC Television Centre in White City, West London, and contains a mixture of news, sport, weather, business and feature items...
in 2001 as a political correspondent. She had first come to prominence when she covered events surrounding the 2000 London Mayoral election
London mayoral election, 2000
The first election to the office of Mayor of London took place on 4 May 2000.-Results:¹Under the Supplementary Vote system, if no candidate receives 50% of 1st choice votes, 2nd choice votes are added to the result for the top two 1st choice candidates...
, and she went on to cover the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
. During her time at BBC Breakfast she covered events surrounding the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq war, and returned from maternity leave in 2005 to report on that year's general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. She spent some time presenting on the BBC News Channel and three months as presenter of Radio Four
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's political events programme The World This Weekend
The World This Weekend
The World This Weekend was launched on 17 September 1967. It is a weekly news and current affairs programme broadcast from 1pm to 1:30pm on BBC Radio 4 every Sunday, essentially the Sunday version of The World at One....
. She also covered the 2007 French presidential election and the European Constitution. In 2008, she was part of press pack during British prime minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
's visits to both Afghanistan and to Beijing for the closing days of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Daily Politics
Coburn joined the BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
weekday political programme The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics
The Daily Politics is a British television show launched by the BBC in 2003. Presented by Andrew Neil and Jo Coburn, the programme takes an in-depth and sometimes irreverent look at the daily goings on in Westminster and other areas across Britain and the world, and includes interviews with leading...
in 2008, presenting the show alongside Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
on Thursdays. From January 2010, she took on Anita Anand
Anita Anand
-Early life:Anand was born in London, England to Pakistani Hindu parents from the North West Frontier, bordering on Afghanistan.-Education:Anand was educated at Bancroft's School, a co-educational independent school in the town of Woodford Green, in the suburb of Woodford in North East London,...
's role, presenting four days a week while Anand was away on maternity leave. Anand returned to the show in September 2010 meaning Coburn returned to presenting on the programme one day a week, this time on Fridays. On 5 May 2010 she joined Neil to present the final Daily Politics election debate, The Trust in Politics Debate, before the 2010 general election. The debate featured contributions from Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, Sir George Young
Sir George Young, 6th Baronet
Sir George Samuel Knatchbull Young, 6th Baronet is a British politician. He is currently the Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal, and has served as a Conservative Party Member of Parliament since 1974, having represented North West Hampshire since 1997, and Ealing Acton before...
, Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Featherstone
Lynne Choona Featherstone , is a British Liberal Democrat politician, and the Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green....
and Adam Price
Adam Price
Adam Price is a politician in Wales, and former Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr. He was elected to Parliament in the 2001 general election and re-elected in 2005 but stood down at the 2010 election...
. In July 2011 Anand left the programme to present a new show on 5 Live meaning that Jo Coburn would become a full-time co-presenter from September along with Neil.
External links
- Jo Coburn at bbc.co.uk
- Q&A Jo Coburn interview at TV Newsroom