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Jordan Milne, BA History graduate, found her ideal career as a producer for Sky News. She explains how Essex shaped who she is today.

Finding a nose for news
Jordan wouldn’t describe her university experience as typical. “I completed my first year at a different university and then moved straight into the second year at Essex. It was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done!”

She soon found that Essex was the right place for her. “I studied History. I always knew I wanted to tell people’s stories – and I was fascinated by the criminal justice system which is why I decided to study the history of crime at Essex.”

Following a Masters in Journalism, Jordan started working at Sky news. “I didn’t necessarily want to work in TV, but I fell into it and it’s been a few years now! I’m the Home Affairs and Crime Specialist Producer for Sky News. For me, it’s absolutely a dream job.”

Criminal mind
Jordan produces live news and pre-recorded investigations, working closely with Sky News correspondents Mark White and Martin Brunt.

While she covers everything from court cases, to terrorist attacks, to changes in the judiciary, Jordan is deeply proud of her coverage of the UK prison system. “Visiting prisons and getting to see the frontline, as it were, was mind blowing. We interviewed one prisoner about the availability of drugs and how that impacts life in the jail.”

Once a history nerd, always a history nerd
When Jordan looks back over her time as a student, she remembers a visit to the British Library as a special highlight. “My dissertation was on the cultural life of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I had the chance to examine the original play. There were pencil notes in the margin, so being the history nerd that I am, that was something else!”

But for Jordan, there’s more to history than the fun of delving through dusty archives. “Working on your assignments, you have to be able to cope with deadlines. Now in my job, I have deadlines of anything from 24 hours to 10 minutes and I can deal with that because I learnt how to during my degree.”

Jordan’s time at Essex helped launch her career, gave her room to explore her love of history – and still plays a big part in her life. “Essex shaped who I am entirely! I still live with someone I met on my history course now – we’re history nerds together!”

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