Dr Tom Felle

BSc, MA, PhD

Contact Details

Associate Professor
Discipline of Media
University of Galway
University Road
Galway H91 TK33, Ireland
T: +353 (0) 91 49 2049
E: tom.felle@universityofgalway.ie
www.LinkedIn.com/in/tomfelle
 
researcher
 

Biography

Tom Felle is Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Galway. He was a Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence for the 2023/24 academic year based in Los Angeles, California, USA. He served as Head of Department and Deputy Head of School at Galway from 2018-2023. From 2013-2018 he was Senior Lecturer in Journalism at City, University of London.
A former career journalist and foreign correspondent, he started his career with the Connacht Tribune and worked with the Irish Independent in Ireland for six years. He was Deputy Editor of the Irish Echo in Sydney from 2001 to 2004, and from 2006-2008 he served as Bureau Chief of the Leb News Agency in Beirut, Lebanon. He has worked in higher education since 2009.
His research interests centre around the critical role of the media in a well functioning democracy, and include digital news, verification, data-driven journalism, so-called "fake news" and disinformation, and FOI, trust, transparency and accountability. He sat on an expert committee that advised the Irish government on FOI in 2013, and has given testimony in the House of Commons in the UK on the importance of FOI for a strong democracy. He has given expert testimony to the European Parliament on issues including cyberbullying (2021), and the Media Freedom Act (October 2022), as well as to the Irish Parliament Taskforce on Safe Participation in Public Life (September 2023). He worked alongside the United Nations migration agency, IOM, as lead academic partner for the Global Migration Media Academy, from 2020 to 2022.
He has published various book chapters, academic articles, has edited three books and is a published author.

Research Interests

* Trust, transparency and journalism's role in the democratic process
* Data-driven journalism
* Social media, social newsgathering and audience development
* Verification, misinformation and disinformation

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
Global Migration Media Academy 01-APR-21 31-DEC-22

Books

  Year Publication
(2022) How to Spell Good and Write Proper.
Felle, Tom (2022) How to Spell Good and Write Proper. Cork, Ireland: Lettertec. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2020) 'COVID news tsunami spells calamity for Irish news media'
Felle, Tom (2020) 'COVID news tsunami spells calamity for Irish news media' In: The Virus and the Media: How British Journalists Covered the Pandemic. London: BiteSizeBooks. [Details]
(2019) 'Brexit and Northern Ireland: Bordering on Confusion'
Felle, T (2019) 'Brexit and Northern Ireland: Bordering on Confusion' In: A history lesson for Brexiteers. London: Bite-sized Books. [Details]
(2017) 'Going digital or going free? Ireland's newspapers struggle for digital success as the print cliff looms'
Hayes, K and Felle, T (2017) 'Going digital or going free? Ireland's newspapers struggle for digital success as the print cliff looms' In: Last Words: How can journalism survive the decline of print?. :245-253 Bury St Edmunds: Abramis. [Details]
(2015) 'Accountability meets engagement: data journalism’s watchdog role'
Felle, T (2015) 'Accountability meets engagement: data journalism’s watchdog role' In: Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future. Bury St Edmunds: Abramis. [Details]
(2015) 'Why freedom of information is important for democracy'
Felle, T (2015) 'Why freedom of information is important for democracy' In: FOI 10 years on: freedom fighting or lazy journalism?. Bury St Edmunds: Abramis. [Details]
(2015) 'Critical perspectives on freedom of information'
Felle, T (2015) 'Critical perspectives on freedom of information' In: Ireland and the Freedom of Information Act. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]
(2015) 'Introduction'
Adshead, Maura and Felle, Tom (2015) 'Introduction' In: Ireland and the Freedom of Information Act. :1-2 Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]
(2014) 'Old reporting, new methods: how data journalism is keeping an eye on government'
Felle, T (2014) 'Old reporting, new methods: how data journalism is keeping an eye on government' In: Abramis. [Details]
(2013) 'Why the internet won't save Ireland's provincial newspapers (but going non-profit just might)'
Felle, T (2013) 'Why the internet won't save Ireland's provincial newspapers (but going non-profit just might)' In: Abramis. [Details]
(2012) 'Ireland's press regulation: an Irish solution to a British problem?'
Felle, T (2012) 'Ireland's press regulation: an Irish solution to a British problem?' In: Abramis. [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2016) Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future.
Felle, T and Mair, J and Radcliffe, D (Ed.). (2016) Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future Data Journalism: Inside the Global Future. Bury St Edmunds: Abramis. [Details]
(2015) FOI 10 years on: freedom fighting or lazy journalism?.
Felle, Tom and Mair, John (Ed.). (2015) FOI 10 years on: freedom fighting or lazy journalism? FOI 10 years on: freedom fighting or lazy journalism?. Bury St Edmunds: Abramis. [Details]
(2015) Ireland and the Freedom of Information Act.
Maura Adshead, Tom Felle (Ed.). (2015) Ireland and the Freedom of Information Act Ireland and the Freedom of Information Act. Manchester: Manchester University Press. [Details]

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2016) 'Freedom of Information in the UK: Opportunity and Threat'
Felle, T (2016) 'Freedom of Information in the UK: Opportunity and Threat'. Political Insight, 7 :28-31 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Digital watchdogs? Data reporting and the news media's traditional 'fourth estate' function'
Felle, T (2016) 'Digital watchdogs? Data reporting and the news media's traditional 'fourth estate' function'. Journalism, 17 :85-96 [DOI] [Details]
(2014) 'A Lebanese State of Affairs'
Felle, T (2014) 'A Lebanese State of Affairs'. Near East Quarterly, 1 :1-14 [Details]

ANET/COS

  Year Publication
(2023) Submission to Oireachtas Taskforce on Safety in Public Life.
Tom Felle (2023) Submission to Oireachtas Taskforce on Safety in Public Life. ANET/COS [Details]
(2017) Media Merger between Celtic Media Newspapers Ltd (CMNL) and Independent News and Media Holdings (Ireland) Ltd - Submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland.
Felle, T (2017) Media Merger between Celtic Media Newspapers Ltd (CMNL) and Independent News and Media Holdings (Ireland) Ltd - Submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. ANET/COS [Details]
(2015) Evidence submitted to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information.
Brooke, H and Felle, T (2015) Evidence submitted to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information. ANET/COS [Details]

Teaching Interests

Tom's teaching interests include news and current affairs; social media; data and visualisation and media innovation. 

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester one Writing and Reporting AJ2103 Undergraduate news reporting class
Semester one Global Media and Society DJ6127 Lectures on media power and criticism
Semester two Power without Responsibility AJ2102 Examining the power, and role of media in democracy
Semester two Data and Visualisation DJ6133 Examining why data matters, and how to use it