Dr. Eileen Culloty
Eileen Culloty is an Associate Professor in the School of Communications where she is Deputy Director of the DCU Institute for Media, Democracy, and Society and chair of the BA in Communication Studies.
Her work focuses on disinformation, media literacy education, and the future of public media.
Eileen leads the Ireland Hub of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and serves as Co-Chair of Media Literacy Ireland, the national network for media literacy coordinated by Coimisiún na Meán. In 2024, she was appointed to Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media Research, Evidence and Evaluation Working Group.
Eileen is currently involved in the following projects:
- EDMO Ireland Hub (EU)
- Teacher Academy on Media Literacy (EU Erasmus+)
- Mainstreaming Media Literacy (CnaM)
- TIDE: Together to Inform, Debunk and Empower (EU CERV)
Recent research on countering disinformation and promoting media literacy has been published in Political Psychology, Political Communication, and Journal for Cultural Research. Her book Disinformation and Manipulation in Digital Media (Routledge 2021) was co-authored with Jane Suiter.
Eileen has contributed to several expert groups, including the national working group that developed Ireland’s National Counter Disinformation Strategy, the EDMO working group on media literacy standards and best practices, Meta’s working group on EU Digital Citizenship, and the steering group of iHealthFacts, a fact-checking initiative for health information.
Eileen has provided evidence to Oireachtas Committees on media and foreign affairs and is a regular contributor to media coverage of issues relating to disinformation, journalism, and digital policy. In 2025, she received the DCU President’s Staff Award for Engagement in recognition of her impact beyond academia.
Research Interests
My research explores the public good dimensions of media with a focus on disinformation and its countermeasures, public interest journalism, media literacy, and media policy.
I am particularly interested in how media systems serve democratic societies, how citizens engage with and understand media content, and how regulatory and educational responses can address challenges in the evolving information environment.
Teaching Interests
My teaching aims to equip students with the knowledge and critical skills to navigate contemporary media. I address major challenges—such as disinformation and generative AI—by combining theoretical insights with transversal skills in critical thinking, digital literacy, and ethics.
Funding Highlights
| Title | Role | Start Date | End Date |
| MIL CC: MIL Community Connections | DCU PI | 01/09/2024 | 28/02/2026 |
| European Digital Media observatory (EDMO) - National and Multinational hubs | DCU PI | 01/09/2024 | 31/08/2025 |
| Conceptualising Online Harm: Challenges & Opportunities in Creating a Harms Framework for the Digital Sphere | DCU PI | 01/09/2024 | 31/08/2025 |
| EI Coordinator Support Grant | DCU PI | 23/08/2023 | 22/08/2025 |
| EAO AVMSD Studies | DCU PI | 01/06/2024 | 31/07/2024 |
| Ireland Hub: European Digital Media Observatory | Coordinator | 01/10/2021 | 31/03/2024 |
| Teacher education in digital and media literacy: providing guidance, resources and support for teacher trainers in Europe | DCU PI | 01/01/2023 | 01/01/2023 |
| LM4D: Local media for democracy | DCU PI | 01/04/2023 | 29/12/2023 |
| Jolt: Harnessing Digital and Data Technologies for Journalism | Management Board, PhD Supervisor | 01/05/2018 | 30/04/2022 |
| Covid-Check: Assessment of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation | Co-PI | 01/04/2021 | 30/09/2021 |
| Provenance | Postdoctoral Researcher | 01/12/2018 | 01/12/2021 |
| Voices for Vaccines | DCU PI | 01/01/2020 | 31/12/2020 |
| The Role of Public Service Media During COVID-19 | DCU PI | 01/09/2019 | 31/08/2020 |
| Covid-19 and Social Mitigation | Co-PI | 01/05/2020 | 01/12/2020 |
| Reuters Digital News Report Ireland | Team member | 01/01/2015 | 01/07/2020 |
| Changing Media Culture | Co-PI | 01/03/2019 | 01/10/2019 |
| Elect Check: Assessment of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation | Co-PI | 01/04/2019 | 01/09/2019 |