Escaping the Midlands

Barnie Choudhury is an award-winning journalist and communications consultant. 

He was a BBC journalist for 24 years and won several industry awards for his reporting of diverse communities. 

Barnie is currently editor-at-large for Eastern Eye, Britain’s number one south Asian national newspaper.

His specialisms are radio, television, online, investigations and data-driven human-interest journalism, and his work has changed public policy and created UK laws. Since the start of the pandemic, parliamentarians have quoted Barnie’s work six times during debates in the House of Commons and select committee hearings, and in a Downing Street pandemic press conference. 

In 2017, the University of Buckingham made him its inaugural professor of professional practice in communications. Barnie has contributed to several books, and he runs his own production company and consultancy business.

You can listen to his recent documentary series on BBC Sounds here, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000vx2z/episodes/guide, and his first Pick of the Week, broadcast on 8 August 2021, https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000yl9v. 

When he is not practising or teaching journalism, Barnie helps dig people and organisations out of public relations crises.

For two years, he worked as the director of media and PR for the Commonwealth secretary-general, Patricia Scotland. Barnie accompanied her on visits to more than 20 different countries and helped to organise the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CHOHGM in 2018. 

At UEA, Barnie will teach law and regulations, as well as online and broadcast journalism.