NICK ASSINDER

Diploma

Retired political editor

By Gabby Colvin

What was your usual hangout spot between lectures?

I can’t remember if we had a student union, but we defnitely went to the pub. Eating out was cheap then so we went for a lot of meals together – I remember having a lot of curries!

What is your favourite piece of journalism ever?

Well, I’m an avid news reader but I absolutely love Marina Hyde in the Guardian – I wish I could write like that. I think her astute humour and almost despair is such an incredible combination so she’s probably my favourite journalist.

Have you ever experienced sexism in your career?

Yeah, defnitely. I think not all, but some, women journalists were given the softer news options, and that was diffcult. Just the general atmosphere, not at the News Group but at the BBC, was quite diffcult for me – you had to watch your back somehow.