James West (Australian journalist)

James West (born 21 February 1982) is an Australian journalist, and author.

Early life and education edit

West 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).

Career edit

West 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.[1][2] It is published in the US 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.[3] The video, and subsequent journey from Sydney to Florida gained press attention in Australia[4][5] and the US.[6][7]

External links edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Beijing Blur – Off the Shelf – China, Age, The/The Sunday Age (Melbou..." archive.ph. 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  2. ^ "This week's selections, Advertiser, The (Adelaide, Australia), August…". archive.ph. 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ^ West, James (21 November 2010). "My Thanksgiving Plea: Track Down The Trans". Archived from the original on 24 October 2021 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Email mix-up gives James much to be thankful for". 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. ^ Davidson, Helen (23 November 2010). "Success for James West with dinner invite". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ^ Scofield, Carolyn (25 November 2010). "Australian man joins South Florida family for Thanksgiving after case of mistaken email identity". WPTV. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Aussie journalist finally gets his turkey with Jupiter family: 'You're totally invited!' – News – The Palm Beach Post – West Palm Beach, FL". 11 October 2021. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.