James Robbins (journalist)
James Robbins is a British journalist who is the BBC's Diplomatic and Royal Editor, a post he has held since January 1998. He previously served as its Southern Africa Correspondent and its Europe Correspondent. He led the BBC's coverage of 9/11, making the first report on that evening's BBC Ten O'Clock News, a report lasting over 7 minutes. He is a regular contributor to BBC news programmes.Early life
Robbins was born in 1954. He was educated at Eversley Preparatory School, Southwold, followed by Westminster School, an independent school for boys in central London. In 1973, Robbins attended Christ Church College at the University of Oxford. During his time there he edited Isis magazine, Oxford's student magazine, together with the soon-to-be venture capitalist Michael Moritz. Robbins read Politics, Philosophy and Economics, graduating with a BA in 1976. He joined the BBC as a graduate trainee in 1977.Career
Robbins was first properly hired by the BBC in August 1987, when he became the corporation's Southern Africa Correspondent, based in Johannesburg.
