Media & Democracy Research
Media and Democracy
This research group focuses on the media as part of the ‘public sphere’, exploring the media’s role in providing information to citizens, its effect in shaping agendas and framing issues, and its status both as a forum and participant in debate. Broad research questions include:
- What role should media play in free societies, in particular at times of economic and political crisis?
- What is the relationship between media decisions and the influence of state, political and commercial entities?
- How can traditional media with fragmenting audiences reinvent themselves as pillars of democracy?
- What will be the role of new media (and ‘social media’) in encouraging participative citizens, engaging wider audiences and transforming politics?
- Women Media and Democracy the importance of gender balance
As part of DCU’s commitment to the 3U Partnership, this group will affiliate and work closely with the National Centre for Media, Power and the Public, which is currently a collaboration between DCU School of Communications and the Centre for Media Studies at NUIM.
Projects run by or linked to this group:
The Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS)
Constitution.ie
Members of the Research Group
Dr. Roddy Flynn is an expert in Irish and European audiovisual policy and has written several books on Irish film. He is the School of Communications Research Convenor and co-director of the National Centre for Media, Power and the Public.
Roddy is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: Audiovisual Policy in Ireland, Europe and the US, Telecommunications Policy, Broadcasting Policy, Social History of Communications, Political Economy of the Media and History of Media Technology.
Dr. Eugenia Siapera teaches, researches and has published extensively on online journalism, blogging and social media. Formerly a member of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Media Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Eugenia’s research focuses on the political potential of new media and the changing nature of journalism in the digital age.
Eugenia is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: Social media and politics, social media and ethnic/cultural/gender identities, media and cultural diversity, social media and journalism.
Dr. Jane Suiter is an expert in political communication as well as participate and deliberative communciation and referendum campaigns and voting. She is deputy research director of the Constitutional Convention, a board member of Transparency International and on the advisory board of dailwatch.ie. and womenonair. Jane is a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media and is a former journalist having worked as Economics Editor at The Irish Times and for other papers such as The Sunday Times and Sunday Independent and as a presenter on Agenda on TV3.
Jane is interested in supervising masters and PhD theses on: political communication, political reform ,participative democracy, citizen assemblies,, referendums, pork barrel politics and economic voting as well as gender representation.