AJE 2025-26 Committee members
Chair of the AJE: Dr Margaret Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of the West of Scotland
margaret.hughes@uws.ac.uk – @MagsNews7
Margaret runs the journalism programmes at UWS and led the development of the first degree in journalism at the university 20 years ago and much of her work over the years has been around the development of the curriculum and pedagogy in journalism education, set against the background of an industry that continues to experience significant change. Her doctoral thesis explored the development of journalism education within the academy and this continues to inform her current research activity. Her teaching is focused around magazine journalism and specialist writing, political communication and the role of the news media in society.
Dr Lada Price, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, University of Sheffield.
l.t.price@sheffield.ac.uk – @ladaprice
Dr Lada Trifonova Price is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield, UK. Her current research focuses on challenges to media freedom and journalistic practice in Eastern and Southern European democracies as well as examining physical and psychological threats to safety of journalists. She has published several papers on journalism practice in fragile democracies, examining a range of threats to press freedom, censorship and self-censorship, ethical challenges, and media corruption.
She is the editor of the Routledge Companion to Journalism Ethics published in 2021 and just edited a special journal issue on trauma literacy in global journalism education and practice for the Journalism, Media and Communication Educator published in June 2023.
Dr John Price – Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Programme Leader for MA Journalism / MA Journalism (Sport) – University of Sunderland
john.price@sunderland.ac.uk
Dr John Price is a Research Fellow in Journalism, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader of the MA Journalism course at the University of Sunderland. A former news reporter in regional newspapers, he has published a number of academic books and journal articles on subjects including online abuse of journalists, funding models for investigative journalism, diversity in journalism, and racism in the sports media.
Deborah Wilson David
Deborahwdavid@gmail.com – @DeborahWDavid
Deborah Wilson David is an educator, researcher and journalist with a career spanning the BBC, UK higher education and international media training. With more than a decade in academic leadership at the University of Lincoln and, more recently, as Head of Journalism and Media at Nottingham Trent University, she also served as a Visiting Professor at the Communication University of China in Beijing.
Her broadcast work has been recognised with several Regional (International) RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards. A co-author of one of the UK’s earliest undergraduate journalism degrees, she has spent more than two decades shaping accredited journalism education and delivering programmes for organisations including the Council of Europe and UNESCO. Deborah is a former Vice President of the European Journalism Training Association, a member of the International Press Institute, and serves on the Board of the US-based Broadcast Education Association, representing international members.
Caroline Jones – Senior Lecturer in Journalism at University of Derby
c.jones5@derby.ac.uk – @CarolineV_Jones
Caroline Jones is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Derby, UK. She gained more than 10 years’ experience in the online media and newspaper industry before becoming a lecturer, working as a reporter at the Derby Telegraph and digital content editor at the Liverpool Echo. Her research concentrates on transformation with the journalism industry, including how practices and processes have evolved in a range of economic, social, political
and technological developments throughout history. One of her current research projects focuses on the effect of entrepreneurialism in digital journalism and its impact on student learning in the higher education setting.
Hilary Scott – Senior lecturer in Multimedia Journalism and Sports Journalism – University of Northampton
hilary.scott@northampton.ac.uk @nosylocaljourno
A journalist and media trainer working for more than 25 years across a range of regional press and specialist media, Hilary joined academia in 2009. She runs a hyperlocal news site, a community radio show and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Research covers local and hyperlocal news, podcasting, journalism education and work experience. She is member of the Society of Editors and recently joined the board of the AJE.
Dr Lucia Vodanovic – Senior Lecturer in Journalism – London College of Communication (University of the Arts London)
l.vodanovic@lcc.arts.ac.uk – @LuciaJournalism
Dr Lucia Vodanovic completed her MA and PhD at Goldsmiths College and now works as Senior Lecturer in Journalism at LCC (University of the Arts London)l; she is also the Course Leader of MA Journalism at the same institution. Her published work discusses social aesthetics, lifestyle journalism and media, and issues of expression, subjectivity and tone in journalism and publishing. She is the editor of Lifestyle Journalism: Social Media, Consumption and Experience (Routledge, 2019) and the author of various research articles published in Journalism Studies and Journalism Practice, among other academic journals.
Lisa Bradley – Professor of Journalism Education – University of Sheffield
Lisa is a Professor of Journalism Education at the University of Sheffield, following her career as a news and crime reporter, feature writer and news editor. She is on the accreditation board of the NCTJ, and the Safety and Resilience Panel.
She is the co-editor of the bestselling Journalism as the Fourth Emergency Service published by Peter Lang, and three-time winner of the NCTJ Innovation in teaching award. Lisa is also a mass market novelist, with Paper Dolls and The Lesson published by Quercus and The Village and The Empty Cradle published by Orion.
She is former director of education and undergraduate director at Sheffield’s School of Information, Journalism and Communication
Tor Clark – Associate Professor in Journalism – University of Leicester
Tor Clark is Associate Professor in Journalism and a Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester, UK. Until 2024 he was deputy head of the School of Media, Communication and Sociology at Leicester.
In journalism he worked for the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph, before becoming editor, first of the Harborough Mail in Leicestershire, and then of Britain’s oldest newspaper, the Rutland & Stamford Mercury, where he led a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to preserve its unique 300 year-old newspaper archive.
Before joining the University of Leicester, he was Principal Lecturer in Journalism at De Montfort University in Leicester. He is a regular commentator on politics and media for BBC Leicester and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. As a political journalist, he has covered the last nine UK general elections.
Dr Johanna Payton – Associate Dean for Student Experience and Senior Lecturer in Journalism – City St George’s, University of London.
johanna.payton@citystgeorges.ac.uk – @johannapayton
Johanna has been teaching since 2011 and leads work on inclusive pedagogy, student engagement and creative curriculum design in the School of Communication and Creativity at City St George’s, University of London. She served as Director of Learning and Teaching for City Journalism from 2022-2025 and is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
Before entering academia, she was a freelance journalist specialising in lifestyle, health and entertainment, and worked on staff as a commissioning editor at The Guardian. Her research focuses on creativity in journalism and journalism education, and she completed her PhD in 2025.
Sean Dodson – Senior Lecturer and Post-Graduate Leader in Journalism – Leeds Beckett University
S.Dodson@leedsbeckett.ac.uk – @seandodson
Sean is a former journalist at The Guardian and a judge of the 2012 Orwell Prize. His current teaching includes media and the public sphere and magazine editing and production. His research interests include Journalistic codes of conduct and journalism ethics.
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