David Pratt honoured by University of Glasgow in 2026

Key Points

• A veteran Glaswegian newspaper journalist, David Pratt, is to be awarded an honorary degree by the University of Glasgow as part of its 575th‑anniversary celebrations.
• Pratt will receive a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) at the University’s winter 2026 graduations, recognising his work in journalism, photography, broadcasting and the arts.
• He has worked for decades as a foreign‑affairs and conflict reporter, notably for Glasgow‑based dailies The Herald and The National, as well as for BBC Scotland and BBC World Service.
• Pratt specialises in sub‑Saharan Africa, the Arab and Islamic world, wars, security issues and humanitarian crises.
• He has twice won “Reporter and Feature Writer of the Year” at the Scottish Press Awards and is also an author, documentary filmmaker and painter.
• Professor Andy Schofield, principal and vice‑chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said honorary degrees recognise individuals whose achievements have had a “profound and positive impact” within their professions and wider society.
• The honorary‑graduate ceremony will be held on 17 June 2026, coinciding with the University’s 575th‑anniversary commemoration of its founding in 1451.

Glasgow (Glasgow Express) May 11, 2026 – A Glasgow‑based daily‑newspaper journalist is set to receive an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow as part of a historic 575‑year anniversary celebration of the institution’s foundation. The honour will be bestowed on David Pratt, who writes for The Herald and The National, in recognition of four decades spent reporting on foreign affairs, conflict, humanitarian emergencies and global security. The University has announced that Pratt will receive a Doctor of Letters (DLitt) at its winter 2026 graduation ceremonies, to be held on Wednesday 17 June during a special Commemoration Day marking the milestone anniversary.

As reported by the University of Glasgow in its official announcement, honorary degrees are awarded to individuals whose work

“has had a profound and positive impact within their professions and wider society.”

Professor Andy Schofield, principal and vice‑chancellor, stated that the University is

“delighted to welcome our honorary graduates into the University of Glasgow community at such a significant milestone, and to celebrate them alongside our graduating students.”

How long has David Pratt been a journalist and what has his career involved?

David Pratt is described by the University and by external profiles as a journalist, photographer, broadcaster, painter and author who has worked almost four decades as a war correspondent and foreign‑affairs reporter. He has served as foreign affairs editor for The Herald and has contributed to publications including

The National, both owned by Newsquest, as well as to BBC Scotland and the BBC World Service.

Pratt’s reporting has focused heavily on sub‑Saharan Africa, the Arab and Islamic world, armed conflicts, insurgency movements and humanitarian crises.

He has embedded with military units, interviewed combatants and civilians in conflict zones, and produced long‑form features that have helped explain complex wars and political upheavals to Scottish and UK readers. According to his professional profile, he has also worked as a photographer, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker, blending visual and narrative storytelling across media platforms.

What awards and recognition has David Pratt received?

In the Scottish media landscape, Pratt is recognised as a multiple‑award‑winning journalist. As noted in publicly available biographical summaries, he has twice been named

“Reporter and Feature Writer of the Year”

at the Scottish Press Awards, a major industry accolade that honours excellence in newspaper and digital journalism.

His work has also been cited in event‑description material for public talks and panel discussions, where he is introduced as a journalist, photographer, broadcaster and author who has spent nearly four decades covering war and foreign affairs.

These profiles emphasise his longevity in high‑risk reporting environments and his role in shaping public understanding of contemporary conflicts, rather than in expressing personal opinion on the politics behind them.

What is the nature of the University of Glasgow’s 575th‑anniversary celebration?

The honorary‑degree ceremony for Pratt falls within a broader series of events marking the University of Glasgow’s 575th anniversary of its founding in 1451.

As reported by the University, the 17 June 2026 Commemoration Day will see honorary degrees conferred on individuals from the arts, politics, science and humanities, including figures such as actor Ncuti Gatwa, broadcaster Sarah Smith and musician‑author Stuart Murdoch.

The University of Glasgow is one of Scotland’s four ancient universities and the fourth‑oldest in the English‑speaking world, having been established by papal bull in 1451.

Announcements from the institution stress that the honorary‑graduate list is intended to reflect a diverse range of contributions to society, with each recipient chosen for sustained professional achievement rather than for a single high‑profile moment.

What has the University said about the purpose of honorary degrees?

In its official communication, the University explains that honorary degrees are a way to

“recognise individuals whose achievements have had a profound and positive impact within their professions and wider society.”

The same messaging notes that such honours embody values that continue to inspire the University community, including intellectual rigour, ethical responsibility and public‑service commitment.

Professor Andy Schofield, principal and vice‑chancellor, is quoted as saying that the University is

“delighted to welcome our honorary graduates into the University of Glasgow community at such a significant milestone, and to celebrate them alongside our graduating students.”

This statement is presented in the University’s own press material and is not attributed to any external news outlet, so it is recorded here as the University’s own wording rather than as a third‑party commentary.

How is this award being framed in the wider context of journalism and academia?

The University’s decision to honour a working newspaper journalist underscores the place of professional journalism within the broader academic and cultural landscape.

In the same list of winter‑2026 honorary graduates, Pratt appears alongside the economist Professor Joachim von Braun, who is to receive a Doctor of Science (DSc), and the musician Eddi Reader, who will receive a Doctor of Music.

Commentary in the University’s own communications makes no direct comparison between Pratt and these other recipients, but the structure of the list implies that his decades‑long contribution to public‑facing reporting is being treated as a form of scholarly and civic contribution worthy of the same level of recognition as scientific research or musical artistry. External summaries of the honorary‑graduate announcements, such as those published by city‑of‑science and‑innovation outlets, likewise rehearse the University’s line that the honours are for

“outstanding contributions in the fields of arts, politics, science and humanities,”

without adding interpretive commentary of their own.

What might this honorary degree mean for other working journalists and students?

From the perspective of media‑industry observers, the honour can be seen as a formal acknowledgment of the value of long‑form foreign‑affairs reporting and of the risks undertaken by journalists working in conflict zones.

Pratt’s profile as a war correspondent who has reported on armed conflicts, insurgencies and humanitarian disasters situates him among a cohort of journalists whose work informs public understanding of global security and instability, even as traditional print journalism faces structural pressures.

For students at the University of Glasgow, particularly those studying journalism, politics, international relations or social sciences, the inclusion of an active news reporter in the honorary‑graduate list may signal that practising journalism in the field is regarded as a legitimate and respected pathway alongside academic research.

The University’s own statements, however, do not explicitly frame the award as a recruitment or role‑model message, but as a general recognition of impact and contribution.

Background of this development

The award of an honorary Doctor of Letters to David Pratt is part of a longstanding tradition at the University of Glasgow of conferring honorary degrees on figures from across the arts, sciences and public life.

In previous years, the University has honoured authors, broadcasters, musicians and political scientists, including journalist and author Sally Magnusson and broadcaster Kirsty Young, whose names were published in the University’s 2025 honorary‑degrees announcement.

Pratt’s recognition in 2026 coincides with the 575th‑anniversary commemoration of the University’s founding in 1451, which the institution has used as an occasion to highlight a broad range of contributors to culture, research and public service.

Within this context, the decision to honour a working newspaper journalist reflects a continuity in the University’s approach: selecting individuals whose work has demonstrably shaped public understanding, whether through books, broadcast, research or investigative reporting.

Prediction: How this development could affect different audiences

For practising journalists in Scotland and the wider UK, the honour may serve as a rare formal recognition that long‑term foreign‑affairs and conflict reporting can be valued on a par with other prestigious professions.

It may also encourage media organisations and universities to strengthen links between newsrooms and academic institutions, for example through guest lectures, joint research projects or visiting fellowships, although such collaborations are not mentioned in the current University announcements.

For students considering careers in journalism, especially those interested in international reporting, the visibility of a working correspondent receiving a DLitt from an ancient university could reinforce the idea that field‑based reporting is a valid and respected vocation.

However, any such effect would depend on how individual media outlets and educators choose to present the award, since the University’s own statements do not explicitly draw this kind of career‑guidance conclusion.

For readers of The Herald and The National, the recognition may heighten awareness of Pratt’s work and the role of foreign‑affairs reporting in their own news consumption, but news‑organisation coverage of the honorary degree has not yet been reported in detail by those outlets at the time of this synthesis. The primary accounts of the honour remain the University’s own announcements and derivative summaries by third‑party science‑and‑innovation platforms, which repeat the institutional line without adding interpretive commentary.