Audrey Galvin

Dr Audrey Galvin has taught extensively on the BA in Journalism and Digital Communication and the MA in Journalism at the University of Limerick and at NUI, Galway.  She supervises research at PhD, MA, and FYP research, and is involved in a number of Erasmus + projects with EU partner universities.

 

My research explores how media constructs public understanding of social inequality, trauma, violence, and marginalised communities, with a particular focus on journalism ethics, global media practices, and the societal impact of news narratives. I examine media representations of extreme violence, murder–suicides, mental illness, and other socially sensitive issues, analysing how journalistic routines and ethical pressures shape public discourse.

A growing strand of my work investigates responsible reporting of mental illness and suicide, including a study evaluating best-practice training for journalism students. I also research inequality and representation, including how economically disadvantaged and socially excluded groups are portrayed in news coverage, and how financial journalism constructs economic narratives.

My current projects include a comparative study (with Prof. Denise Buiten) on the international trend of presenting murder–suicides as infotainment, and interdisciplinary, policy-relevant work exploring the attitudes of victim survivors of domestic and sexual violence about media coverage. 

Across all projects, I employ qualitative, critical, and interdisciplinary approaches to understand how media representations influence public attitudes, reinforce or challenge inequalities, and shape democratic and cultural life.

 

Dr Audrey Galvin joined UL in 2014. She has worked for over a decade as a radio broadcast and multimedia journalist before becoming Deputy News Editor with Radio Kerry. 

 

Audrey has received over 50,000 in funding from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to research, produce and present a number of radio documentaries. Her radio project 'The Silent Wounded' won a gold award from New York International Radio Festivals. She has most recently worked in New York producing a radio documentary on the Irish diaspora who worked on the 9/11 memorial. Audrey currently sits on the adjudication panel for Coimisiún na Meán assessing projects under the Sound and Vision scheme.