Emmy award win for Luton-born journalist who works for Fox news channel

Luton-born Jordan Hogan (right) and the Emmy he won with photographer and editor colleague Manuel Rodriguez

He won the award for his report Your Phone is Always Listening

A journalist who started life in Luton has won a TV reporting Emmy award – considered the Oscars of US TV.

Jordan Hogan – who now lives in the States and works for Fox 13 TV News – admits that Your Phone is Always Listening was not his first choice of subject for the Environment/Science/Technology News category.

His original plan fell through on the day of the shoot, so he started working on an idea questioning what’s happening with information gathering on smartphones, whether it’s legal and what you can do if you feel uncomfortable about it.

And the University of Brighton journalism graduate credits his alma mater with his success.

He says: “I absolutely believe that my time there prepared me for my future career.

"Whether it was developing my skills, getting to network with industry professionals or simply just having lecturers who believed in me and fed my passion for news... I owe it to them for doing such an amazing job.”

While at university, he gained invaluable work experience at BBC Sussex and Juice FM as well as on the Eastbourne Herald.

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Jordan lived in Luton until his parents split up when he was three. He moved to Eastbourne with his mum and two sisters while his brother opted to stay with his electrician dad.

His love of media production started at secondary school but his enthusiasm for journalism increased at college.

He recalls: “When it was time to pick a university course, I chose something that combined my passion for telling stories with my media production skills.”

He moved to the US shortly after graduating and now lives in Utah with his husband.

He explains: “It made the most sense personally and professionally.

“I love how much there is to explore here and the number of career prospects. But I miss my family and need to get back more often than I do.

“I also miss public transport which made it so convenient for getting around without a car.”

University of Brighton principal lecturer Dr Simon McEnnis said: “It’s a proud moment to see one of our journalism graduates gain high-profile recognition for producing such outstanding work.

"Jordan’s success demonstrates what is possible for our journalism students.”