Legal eagle lands journalism job

If James Pasley were to have followed a family tradition, he would be practicing law by now.

His father, mother, brother and his brother’s fiancée all have law degrees. James has one too, together with a BA.

But unlike his relatives (three of whom are in legal practice) he decided to turn his attention to a love that was kindled by his undergraduate studies in sociology and literature. “It gave me a sniff for journalism,” said the 24-year-old Rosmini College old boy.

That, together with a meeting with AUT’s associate professor in journalism, Verica Rupar, provided the inspiration he needed. James will graduate next week with a Postgraduate Diploma in Communication Studies from AUT.

The qualification got him a job at Fairfax Media, where he’s been appointed Auckland communities reporter, working out of the company’s new purpose-built head office in Ponsonby.

It’s James’ first full-time job since leaving school, although he’s held down plenty of part-time posts during his lengthy tertiary tenure.

Fitted in among his studies are stints as: a cinema staffer, a boutique pizza shop assistant, a barista and a courier driver. “As well as being a fulltime student, I’ve been a part-time hospitality student,” he said. But all those jobs are now going by the wayside as James takes up his new post.

Despite choosing not to be admitted to the bar, he said his law school studies prepared him well for the career path he’s now on. The relentless deadline demands for assignments at Auckland University were mirrored by the requirements to file on time for his Communication Studies diploma at AUT.

Never was that more evident than when he completed the two-week Newsroom Intensive component, when students work in AUT’s real-time newsroom and file stories for its online Te Waha Nui website. (One of James’ stories – about a seeing-eye dog that had been banned from Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts after howling through brass solos – was picked up the New Zealand Herald – where James had earlier done his internship.)The variety that news reporting brings saw him cover an Air Force bomb-dropping exercise off South Head on his first day as an intern.

Being a hospitality employee and encountering people from all walks of life also prepared him well for life as a reporter, says James.

And although he might not have fully followed family tradition, he still has some journalistic links to lay claim to. His aunt, Claire Pasley, had a lengthy stint as a reporter with Radio New Zealand; her husband, Martin Gibson, is executive editor on Morning Report.