University News Last updated 22 September
Dr Rachel-Ann Charles has been named a recipient of the 2025–26 Global Challenges Teaching Award - a prestigious accolade jointly presented by the US-UK Fulbright Commission and the American Association of Colleges and Universities.
Now in its third year, the GCTA supports UK and US educators in co-developing and co-delivering innovative online courses that address pressing global challenges.
Dr Charles, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at Birmingham City University, will partner with Dr Stephanie Demetriades of DePaul University in the USA to design a new course exploring how journalism can counter disinformation and support democratic dialogue.
Set to launch in 2026, the course will bring together students from both sides of the Atlantic, engaging them in cross-cultural collaboration and real-time media challenges.
“This award comes at a critical moment, with recent news of more than 300 editorial jobs at risk at Reach following £108 million cuts to journalism courses in the UK,” said Dr Charles (pictured).
“When traditional media sheds hundreds of journalists and deprioritises journalism education, we must ask: who will hold power accountable?
“By developing cross-cultural verification tools with my US partner, we're not just addressing misinformation, we're preparing the next generation of journalists with skills essential for democratic accountability across borders, exactly what our interconnected world requires when information integrity faces unprecedented threats.”
A member of the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research, Dr Charles has become a leading voice in journalism education.
Her current research focuses on developing innovative teaching methods in higher education, aiming to prepare the next generation of journalists for the evolving media landscape.