James Longman


James Longman is an English journalist and foreign correspondent for US network ABC News. Previously, he worked at the BBC where he worked as a general news reporter and the corporation's Beirut correspondent. Fluent in Arabic and French, he specialised in the Middle East, and regularly reports on issues around the refugee crisis and the Arab world, as well as terrorist incidents around Europe.

Early life

Longman was born in 1986 in West London. He was educated at Hill House in Knightsbridge, and at Worth School, a boarding school in West Sussex. He has a bachelor's degree in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies, and a masters in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics.

Career

Longman started his career inside Syria, where he spent six months to report for British newspapers, spending time in rebel-held areas in the lead-up to the war. In 2012, he was hired by the BBC for his specialism regarding Syria.
He has taken a particular interest in mental health, and reported on his own family's history for the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme, where he was based in London.
In 2016, he ran the London Marathon in aid of Mind.
Now at ABC, he covers breaking news around Europe and the Middle East – often deployed to cover terror attacks – as well as making features and news specials on all kinds of issues for ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight and Nightline.

Personal life

Longman is openly gay. He was nominated for Young Talent of the Year at the 2016 Royal Television Society Awards.