THE journalist shortlisted for British Journalism Awards

A Times Higher Education journalist is on the shortlist for the British Journalism Awards 2026.

Jack Grove, deputy features and opinions editor, has been nominated in the Specialist Journalism category.

At the heart of his submission was a long read setting out how he had been reported to police after investigating alleged plagiarism in the PhD thesis of the late University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday.

Grove had spent several months reviewing the claims during the summer of 2025, before the story erupted in the British and international media earlier this year.

The Metropolitan Police concluded that no offences had occurred and later acknowledged that it was wrong to have told Grove not to make further contact with Arday.

Meanwhile Liverpool John Moores University, the awarding institution, cleared Arday of wrongdoing, with the sociologist arguing that his “mistakes” should be attributed to inadequate supervision and his autism and learning disabilities.

But he resigned from his Cambridge post at the start of August after the institution announced a new investigation, amid mounting claims about his academic record. Arday was found dead at his home in London later that month.

The case has been the trigger for a series of wider debates around racial equity in higher education, academic appointments, and the role of the media. Several Cambridge-led investigations are ongoing.

The British Journalism Awards, hosted by Press Gazette, are the leading awards ceremony for the UK media and are in their 15th year. Spanning print, broadcast and online, they celebrate work that displays journalistic skill and rigour and serves the public interest.

Chris Havergal, THE’s editor, congratulated Grove on his shortlisting.

“The story of Jason Arday had a deeply tragic ending, and our thoughts remain with his family and friends. It is right that this turn of events should trigger reflection across academia, the media and wider society,” he said.

“However, we have always been clear that, in investigating Jason Arday’s PhD thesis, Jack was examining matters of significant public interest, and that these enquiries were handled sensitively and appropriately.

“Jack is a hugely experienced journalist and a valued colleague, and we are pleased to see his work being recognised in this way.”

Also nominated in the Specialist Journalism category are Shayma Bakht (The Times); Steve Farrell (The Grocer); Martina Lees (The Sunday Times); Dan Neidle (Tax Policy Associates); Dalmeet Singh Chawla (Chemical & Engineering News); Zoe Tidman (Health Service Journal); and Aaron Walawalkar (Liberty Investigates/The Guardian/Dazed/Al Jazeera).

The winners will be announced on 10 December.