Charles N. Davis

Notable work and positions

Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia - Dean
Missouri School of Journalism - Professor and Department Chair
National Freedom of Information Coalition - Executive Director

Biography

Charles N. Davis is dean of the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, a position he has held since 2013. A UGA alumnus, he worked for ten years as a journalist for newspapers, magazines, and a news service in Georgia and Florida before earning a master's degree in journalism from UGA's Grady College and a doctorate in mass communication with an emphasis in media law from the University of Florida. He spent 14 years on the faculty of the Missouri School of Journalism, including four years as chair of its editorial department, and served as executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and of the University of Missouri's Freedom of Information Center, where he was principal investigator on a $2 million Knight Foundation grant. His research and writing focus on media law and access to government information; he has written a long-running column on freedom-of-information issues for the IRE Journal and has co-authored several books, including Principles of American Journalism and The Art of Access: Practical Strategies for Acquiring Public Records. He is the recipient of the John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award from the National Press Club and the Scripps-Howard National Journalism Professor of the Year Award.

Career highlights

• Dean, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Georgia, since 2013.
• Principles of American Journalism Routledge · Co-authored textbook on the fundamentals and values of journalism, now in a fourth edition.
• John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award National Press Club.
• 2025 Charles L. Weltner Freedom of Information Award Georgia First Amendment Foundation.