DCU Lectures with Roderick Flynn
Written by Chelsea Prestia (Lecture 1) and Angelica Blouch (Lecture 2)
Photographed by David Kelly (Lecture 1) and Kristina Alvarez (Lecture 2)
Filmed by Micky Haney

Lecture 1                                                                                                                Lecture 2
 
For descriptions, open the slideshow in fullscreen and click "show info," or view the set for lecture one or view the set for lecture 2.

Lecture 1

   Students gained insight into the world of Irish newspapers through their lecture with Professor Roderick Flynn of Dublin City University on May 10. Flynn is a full-time professor at DCU and is the author of two books.
   According to Flynn, the newspaper industry in Ireland is still doing well and hasn't seen as many negative effects from the recession as other areas of the media have. In Ireland, most newspapers are still printing two editions a day except for the national Sunday newspapers.
   Flynn talked about Ireland's struggles to break free of the UK market. He mentioned how not only is the majority of their television program imported from the UK, but also their newspapers and magazines.
   “The newspapers read the most are the ones indigenous to this country; however, a lot are imported from the UK”, said Flynn. “Currently 1 in 4 newspapers bought a day in Ireland are English”
   He also went on to point out the differences between Irish and American newspapers by saying that city specific newspapers don't really exist in Ireland as we know them in the United States. Also, home delivery does not exist in Ireland. The majority of newspapers which are read are bought out of small stores.
   Flynn compares the Irish Times to the New York Times, saying that to Ireland, it is a newspaper of record. If one wanted to know what happened on a specific date in history, they are most likely to look in the archives of the Irish Times first.
    Students were able to learn a lot about the Irish media and in particular Irish Newspapers through the lecture given by Flynn. They were also able to ask questions and discuss and compare Irish newspapers to those in the states.

Lecture 2

   Imagine life without the Internet. Because Americans rely so heavily on the Internet for both business and personal use, it would be nearly impossible to go through our daily routines as quickly and efficiently.
   In other countries however, Internet access isn’t as widely available, such as Ireland, where according to Roddrick Flynn, a professor at Dublin City University, “access to money is a determinant of whether someone has internet access or not.”
   Flynn delivered a lecture about digital media on May 13 that was both informative and interesting to our group of 25, made up of Point Park undergrads, graduates, and professors, who represent the university’s School of Communication. “You could sum it up by saying the impact isn’t much,” said Flynn. In fact, only 65 percent of those living in Dublin have Internet access, and some still use slow connections, like dial up, a service that is practically nonexistent in the U.S.
   The Irish mostly use the Internet for travel information and don’t generate their own content for websites. Instead the articles are practically regurgitated from the breaking news found in the print publications. Online sites also aren’t interactive, only a few allow for commenting or other types of feedback. Due to lack of confidence, hyperlinks aren’t used unless it is to transfer between pages of the same Web site, as the Irish fear if a reader leaves a website they won’t return. Concepts such as these are foreign to us; online journalism has really taken off in the U.S., writing news articles, allowing feedback, and hyperlinks are among the top things that hold it together.
   It seems that the impact of the Internet simply doesn’t exist, where as it is the future of American journalism. Americans race to have stories uploaded to the Web as soon as possible, and it’s interesting to learn that the Irish aren’t following suit even with the technology advancements. Perhaps the future will mean something different for the Irish.

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Dr. Roderick Flynn gives Point Park students a lecture on the "Impact of the Internet on Irish Mass Media."

Dr. Flynn gives a brief synopsis of the whole lecture.

Dr. Flynn provides Ireland's demographics of Internet use.

Dr. Flynn speaks about what is common to find on all Irish newspapers websites.

Dr. Flynn explains the uniqueness of the Irish Times with having their journalists blog.

Dr. Flynn talks with us about the disadvantages and advantages to Twitter when it comes to spreading
news. He uses an example of the recent death of an Irish Radio Broadcaster, which was exposed on Twitter.