Sustained Educational Excellence
Name
Biography
Dr Colm Murphy, PF HEA, is Subject Leader in Media, Film and Journalism at Ulster University in Northern Ireland. As a director of the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ), he has led the transformation of journalism education in the UK to full multi-platform production and developed the first global qualifications in international journalism. He has led new pathways into the journalism profession with the award-winning £500,000 annual Journalism Diversity Fund and £15m Facebook Community News Project. Over 500 people from diverse backgrounds have been brought into the profession through these projects. He is chair of the international strategy group of the NCTJ.
An award-winning lecturer and journalist, in May 2021 he was made a Principal Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy for his contribution to media and journalism education in the UK and internationally. He has written for The Sunday Times, London, for over 25 years and has made over 11 investigative documentaries for national television. He has worked in journalism in the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Poland and India. He holds a PhD in digital media policy and has advised governments and organisations on digital strategy, law and safety. His research on improving the safety of journalists particularly in conflict areas and from digital media abuse has been used by UNESCO and the World Journalism Education Council.