Media History & Contemporary Journalism
Media History and Contemporary Journalism
This research group addresses media history as well as contemporary media practice, media standards and media economics in the context of fragmenting audiences, rapid technological change, and the erosion of public trust. Broad research questions include the historical role of media in shaping public opinion and national identity as well as how contemporary media can provide the public with politically and socially useful information and analysis, and what forms of media organisation are capable of meeting the public’s needs. This group is currently building links to various media organisations to organise seminars, short courses and masterclasses on high-level editorial and reporting skills, and in particular will provide training and resources for the support of investigative journalism.
Members of the Research Group
Prof. Steven Knowlton is a former journalist and newspaper editor. His research is in the areas of International journalism studies and Journalism ethics, and he has published books on journalism education, journalist ethics and on the 19th century Irish nationalist organ, The Nation.
Steven is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: photojournalism, journalism ethics, journalism education and International journalism studies.
Paul MacNamara is interested in contemporary journalism practice. Before joining DCU, he was a journalist with Independent Newspapers on the business section of the Irish Independent and on news for the Evening Herald and Sunday Independent. Past research projects focused on international journalism education, international relations and child abuse on the internet. Paul is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: Journalism; journalism in Ireland; journalism in international contexts; journalism education; editorial and media systems; newspaper design; news form and design.
Martin Molony is a lecturer and consultant in the corporate and voluntary sectors. His research interests are in the areas of public relations, crisis communications and digital marketing. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the School of Drama, Film & Music at Trinity College Dublin (TCD).
Dr. Mark O’Brien’s research focuses on newspaper and media history and political communication. He is secretary of the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland and chairperson of the advisory board of the Media History Collection, DCU Library & Archive. His current research projects include a book on political communication in Ireland and a book on periodicals in twentieth century Ireland. Mark is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: Media & Journalism History, Journalism Studies, Political Communication, Conflict & Censorship and Journalism & Social Change, including political journalism, crime journalism and the role of social affairs journalism in the modernisation of society
Dr. John O’Sullivan’s research interests concern communication technology and society, and have centred in particular on the interplay of journalism and the Internet, especially in relation to professional roles, media platforms and interactivity. He is a member of the editorial board of the new academic journal Digital Journalism, and was vice-chair in the founding executive committee of the Journalism Studies Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association.
John is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: Digital journalism, Journalism values, Media (including new media) and democracy, Media diversity, (News) media representation, Sport & society, nationally and internationally, but especially in Ireland association football and minority sports