Prof
Mark
O'Brien
Academic biography
Mark O’Brien is Professor of Journalism History at Dublin City University. His 2017 book, The Fourth Estate: Journalism in Twentieth-Century Ireland, examined the interplay between politics, media ownership, religion, interest groups, social change, and journalism from the 1890s to the 1990s. His other monographs include The Irish Times: A History (2008) and De Valera, Fianna Fáil and the Irish Press: The Truth in the News? (2001).
Among his co-edited volumes are The Sunday Papers: A History of Ireland's Weekly Press (2018), Political Communication in the Republic of Ireland (2014), Independent Newspapers: A History (2012), and Political Censorship and the Democratic State: The Irish Broadcasting Ban (2004). He is also co-editor of the two volume series Periodicals and Journalism in Twentieth-Century Ireland (2014 & 2021).
His current research focuses on the relationship between writers, journalism, and the Irish state from 1922 to 1967. He is chair of the Mary Raftery Prize for Journalism.
Research interests
He welcomes enquires from anyone interested in undertaking a Masters by Research, a Doctorate (Ph.D.) or Post-Doctoral studies in the areas of journalism history; political journalism; media, politics, scandal and the public sphere; and the personalisation of politics.