James Nadal BA History

Journalist

Hi, I'm James Nadal and I studied BA History within Humanities at the University of Southampton.

I find my experience as a historian comes in handy on the paper. While at university I developed my writing skills and learned how to research. If you’re writing about long-running issues, you often have to consult the archives. Facts are important. I always think ‘journalism is the first draft of history’ so you have to get it right.

As a senior reporter on the Bucks Free Press, James covers stories as diverse as crime, fires and sightings of albino squirrels.

After graduating with a degree in history, he took a masters in TV Production and worked in the industry for a time before deciding on journalism. He studied for the equivalent of a postgraduate diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and got the job in Buckinghamshire.

“I find my experience as a historian comes in handy on the paper,” he explains. “While at university I developed my writing skills and learned how to research. If you’re writing about long-running issues, you often have to consult the archives. Facts are important. I always think ‘journalism is the first draft of history’ so you have to get it right.”