From left: Professor Kevin Rafter, DCU; Cormac Bourke, Mediahuis Ireland Editor-in-Chief; DCU journalism students Liam Coates and Erin Murphy, and President of DCU Professor Daire Keogh. Photo: Gerry Mooney/Mediahuis

Two DCU journalism students awarded 2023 Veronica Guerin Washington Scholarships

27/03/2023

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They will be based at the Washington Bureau of the Cronkite School of Journalism as part of a global partnership arrangement between DCU and Arizona State University.

The Veronica Guerin scholarship was established by DCU’s School of Communications and Mediahuis Ireland (formerly Independent News & Media) in memory of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin who was murdered in 1996.

In 2022/23, the scholarship will allow two DCU journalism students to complete their work experience placements in the United States.

The students will be based at the Washington Bureau of the Cronkite School of Journalism as part of a global partnership arrangement between DCU and Arizona State University.

The scholarship is supported by the DCU Educational Trust and Mediahuis Ireland, and is managed at DCU’s School of Communications by Prof. Kevin Rafter

The two successful students are:

Liam Coates from Co. Cork is a final year undergraduate student on DCU’s BA Journalism degree at the School of Communications. He is currently Arts Editor at the College View, the DCU student newspaper, and was nominated for two National Student Media Awards in 2022.
Erin Murphy from Co. Dublin is a final year undergraduate student on DCU’s BA Journalism degree at the School of Communications. She is currently Deputy Editor of Arts and Culture of the College View, the DCU student newspaper.

Erin and Liam will be based in Washington from May to August 2023. They will work at the ASU Washington Bureau delivering digital and broadcast news content for Cronkite News, a division of Arizona Public Broadcasting Service. They will work with US journalism students in delivering a five-night a week news programme for Cronkite News.

Prof. Daire Keogh, DCU President, said:

DCU is honoured to maintain the memory of Veronica Guerin through our journalism scholarship initiative. I am very pleased that two of our journalism students will have an extraordinary opportunity to undertake placements at the Washington Bureau of the Cronkite School of Journalism. This is part of a unique partnership between DCU and Arizona State University, and illustrates the global reach of DCU’s School of Communications, which has been consistently recognised in international university rankings.

Cormac Bourke, Mediahuis Ireland Editor-in-Chief, said:

Mediahuis Ireland is delighted to continue its association with the Veronica Guerin Scholarship at DCU and to see two journalism students getting this very exciting opportunity to gain valuable work experience in the United States. Veronica Guerin was a fearless investigative reporter whose work as a journalist, and commitment to press freedom, remains an inspiration for everyone working in the Irish media.

Veronica Guerin (5 July 1958 – 26 June 1996) worked with the Sunday Business Post and the Sunday Tribune newspapers before joining the Sunday Independent in 1994. She was a member of the governing body of NIHE/DCU from 1982 to 1992.

A leading investigative and crime journalist, Veronica Guerin was shot dead on 26 June 1996 as she waited in her car at a traffic light just outside Dublin. She was 37, and married with a 6-year-old son. In 2000, Veronica was named as one of the International Press Institute’s 50 ‘World Press Freedom Heroes’ of the previous half-century.