The DCU Institute for Future Media and Journalism (FuJo) will lead a €3.9m project dedicated to the advancement and research of digital and data based journalism.
The JOLT project (Journalism and Leadership Transformation) being launched in May will hire 15 PhD researchers based in institutes across Europe including The Irish Times, BBC, and The European Journalism Centre.
The researchers will be involved in the investigation of technical, business, and ethical aspects of contemporary journalism. Their areas of expertise ranges from journalism and social science to computer engineering and data science.
DCU President Professor Brian MacCraith said the project award is a “strong reflection of the university’s commitment to remain at the forefront of one of the pillars of democracy”.
The award will be invested in a number of projects including an examination of the ethics of using user-generated content, and other political and ethical implications of contemporary journalism.
In conjunction with the aims of FuJo, the projects will investigate the advancement of journalism and its values in the digital age. Projects will explore algorithms in news, data mining, audience analysis, multimedia data, and data visualisation.
“At a critical time for journalism, DCU FuJo pulled together a multinational team to explore new ways of supporting journalism and its civic functions,” said FuJo director and Project Co-ordinator Jane Suiter.
Data science JOLT projects will develop new protocols and storytelling forms for video, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.
The project award is a “powerful endorsement” of DCU FuJo’s work in development of journalism, said MacCraith. “Dublin City University have always played a leading role in journalism education and DCU FuJo have continued that pioneering work across research and thought leadership.”
“Beyond research, the project includes many outreach events which will let us share new knowledge with the news industry in Ireland and beyond,” said Suiter. “We’re delighted to bring this major project to DCU and look forward to working with the best academic and industry partners across Europe.”
The JOLT project will run for four years and is being funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme.
Emily Sheahan
Image Credit: FuJo