Award winning journalist John Stapleton has become Patron of Harlow College School of Journalism.

John, who was awarded the Royal Television Society’s Presenter of the Year in 2004, attended the journalism course at Harlow 50 years ago and this month returned to speak to students about his career.

He has reported from some of the major trouble spots in the world and has been a foreign correspondent for both Panorama and Newsnight. John received Presenter of the Year for his work covering the war in Iraq and a series of interviews with, amongst others, the then Prime Minister,Tony Blair.

His career began as a journalist on local newspapers and progressed to Fleet Street where he worked for two national newspapers. After a seven year spell in regional TV he became a presenter on the BBC’s hugely popular Nationwide programme for five years before moving on to Panorama and Newsnight. On those programmes John reported from trouble spots in the Middle East, El Salvador and spent three months covering the Falklands war while based in Argentina. He has covered the Balkan War in Kosovo, the Tsunami in South East Asia, four American elections and just about every major news story in the UK.

For seven years John co-presented the BBC Watchdog programme with his wife Lynn Faulds Wood. He has also hosted the ITV daytime chat show The Time, The Place and spent 17 years as a presenter at GMTV, Daybreak and Good Morning Britain.

Following his visit to the college John said, 'I am delighted to become a patron of the Harlow School of Journalism where I had my first formal training before a long career in the business. I found the course extremely helpful as I am sure present day students will too “.

Laura Wedgbury-Glew, Academy Manager at Harlow, said 'To have as our patron a journalist of John Stapleton's calibre is an honour; he is an inspiration to our students.'

Lewis Heritage, Assistant Academy Manager, who oversees the delivery of the National Council for the Training of Journalism courses at Harlow, commented: 'I am delighted with the news that John Stapleton has agreed to become a patron for Harlow College School of Journalism. As an award winning journalist and former Harlow College student himself, John is a perfect role model for our students.'