JOSHUA ZITSER

Broadcast Senior Reporter at Insider

By Gabby Colvin

What is your fondest memory of being at City?

Meghan Markle came to visit when she was newly married to Prince Harry. That was a really exciting experience as there were photographers from proper news outlets there.

What has been the highlight of your career?

When Kabul fell to the Taliban I worked on a story about gay men in Afghanistan who were living secret lives whilst fearing for their lives. I stayed in touch with one of the men we interviewed and after he eventually arrived in the UK as a refugee, I got to meet him and we built up a friendship. From a horrifc news story there was a glimmer of hope. That was a reminder to me why journalism is so important – you’re ultimately telling human stories.

Who’s your biggest inspiration? My late great uncle Wilf. He arrived in the UK via Kindertransport as a refugee from Germany during the Holocaust. He was 10 and his parents later died in the concentration camps. What’s really inspirational about Wilf is that, having arrived here with no English, he educated himself and was able to become a fnancial journalist who contributed to The Telegraph and the Financial Times. He was the victim of a regime that tried to silence voices and, through pure hard work and determination, he was able to develop his own voice and work as a journalist for many, many years.

Choudhry

Presenter and Producer at Sky News

By Ella Kipling

What was the module you liked the most/least when you were at City?

My favourite class was the TV news day. There was something about the time pressure that got my adrenaline pumping. It’s also very similar to the pressure of a newsroom – although a softer pressure for sure – so it was good practice for post-City life. My least favourite subject was media law. The lecturer was epic. I just found it too much for my neurodiverse brain!

What is the one news story you wish you could’ve broken?

Tough one – but it has to be the death of the People’s Princess, Diana.

If you could interview anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

The one person I’m keen to interview at this moment in time is Charles Sobhraj, the serial killer. You may have seen BBC drama The Serpent about his crimes. Or rather, alleged crimes –Sobhraj vehemently denies the murders he was locked up for. He was released last year, after serving two life sentences in Nepal.

By Lucy Sarret