About

Josh Davis is a journalist, filmmaker, and associate professor of journalism at San Francisco State University. His documentary projects include Charlottesville: Race and Terror (VICE News) and Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt (NPR) — two widely recognized works that shaped national conversations around race, the economy, and innovation in digital storytelling. 

Josh's recent projects focus on the backlash to the reform prosecutor movement in the U.S., using investigative reporting and academic research. He has also published research on media ethics in visual journalism. 

In addition to his own projects, Josh advises and consults with media teams, including Hard Fork, The New York Times’ top-ranked technology podcast. Josh helped relaunch the podcast as a video series in his role as the show’s first visuals director — part of his ongoing work exploring innovative ways to tell stories. 

Josh holds an M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from UNC-Chapel Hill and previously taught at New York University, Columbia, and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism. He has received a Peabody Award, several Emmy Awards, and a duPont-Columbia Award for his documentary work. 

Josh served two terms on the Board of Directors for the National Press Photographers Association, the leading voice for visual journalists.

Say hello: joshdavis13@gmail.com

Honors + Awards

2023 Educator of the Year Award - National Press Photographers Association

2023 Emerging Adviser Award - College Media Association.

2018 Peabody Award - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Best Story in a Newscast - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2018 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2018 Pictures of the Year International - 1st Place, Documentary Journalism - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2018 Scripps Howard Award - Topic of the Year, Divided America - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2017 Sidney Award - Outstanding Journalism - Charlottesville: Race and Terror

2015 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards - Silver Baton - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 IDA Documentary Awards - Best Short Form Series - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - New Approaches to Documentary - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 Online News Association - Excellence and Innovation in Visual Digital Storytelling - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 The Gerald Loeb Awards - Best Online Project - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 The Webby Awards - Best Documentary Series - 2013 ICP Infinity Awards/MediaStorm

2014 NAACP Image Awards - Nomination, Outstanding Documentary (Television) - The War Comes Home

2014 Overseas Press Club of America - Best Use of Video, Interactive Graphics - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 National Press Photographers Association - Best of Photojournalism - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 Scripps Howard Award - Digital Innovation - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 Pictures of the Year International - 1st Place, Documentary Project of the Year - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 Pictures of the Year International - 1st Place, Documentary Journalism - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2014 White House News Photographers Association - 1st Place, Innovation - Planet Money Makes A T-Shirt

2013 News and Documentary Emmy Awards - Nomination, New Approaches to Documentary - 100 Gallons

2013 Society of Professional Journalists, National Mark of Excellence Awards - Gold, Television Photography - Fractured

2013 Horizon Interactive Awards - Gold - The Undocumentary

2013 The Webby Awards - Nomination, Best Green/Environmental Issue Website - 100 Gallons

2013 SXSW Interactive Awards - Finalist, Student Project - Port City Stories

2013 Pictures of the Year International - Award of Excellence, Multimedia Journalism - Fractured

2012 Lens Culture International Exposure Awards - Honorable Mention, Multimedia - Fractured