Dr Matt Walsh

BA (Hons) PG Dip PhD SFHEA

Publication

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Research

I was awarded funding by the Arts and Humanities Research Council for a project titled Enhancing the Impartiality of Political News that runs between 2025 and 2027. This will examine how broadcasters are interpreting their impartiality obligations and how audiences understand what impartiality means and the value they attach to it.

My doctoral research focused on how politicians use social media to communicate directly with voters and the impact this has on political journalism.

Teaching

Since 2021, I have taught one of the School's core first-year undergraduate modules The History of Mass Communications and Culture, which usually attracts around 300 students. 

I have taught broadcast and digital journalism for many years at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I also teach modules on political communication, and on the media and democracy.

Biography

Since 2021, I have been Head of Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture, where I teach journalism and media.

I am a passionate advocate for press freedom and high ethical journalistic standards. I have been a long-standing advisor to the press regulator Impress and serve on the executive boards of The Conversation UK and the Broadcast Journalism Training Council.

I also act as an expert advisor on journalism and public service broadcasting to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and I chaired the judging panel for the 2025 Orwell Prize for Journalism. 

I hold a PhD in Journalism from City St. George’s, University of London, a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism from Falmouth University, and a BA in English Language and Literature from King’s College, London. 

My academic career followed 20 years of experience as a working journalist in broadcast and digital news. I held several senior roles at ITN, including Deputy Editor of the ITV News Channel, and established The Times’s multimedia department, pioneering the newspaper’s use of podcasts and digital videos. I have also worked internationally for Al Jazeera and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

I continue to collaborate closely with the industry as an advisor and regularly contribute as a commentator and writer on matters related to journalism and political communication. His appearances include BBC Radio 4 and 5, Al Jazeera, The Financial Times, and The Washington Post.

Academic positions

2019 - 2020: Senior lecturer, Cardiff University

2016 - 2019: Subject leader Journalism, Media and Performance Studies, University of Northampton

2014 - 2016: Senior lecturer, University of Northampton

Supervisions

Journalism (including broadcast and digital news)

Political communication

Current supervision

Tunis Almahruqi

Engagement

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I am a trustee of The Conversation UK.

I am a non-executive director of the Broadcast Journalism Training Council

I am on the advisory board of the education charity, The John Schofield Trust

I spent six years as a member of the Standards Code Committee for the press regulator, Impress, where I worked on the revision of the Standards Code, as well as guidance on right to reply and best practice in the use of AI in journalism (2019-25)

I spent two years on the UK advisory board of the Ethical Journalism Network (2021-23)

Industry affiliations:

Chair of the judges, The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2025

Awards judge, Royal Television Society Journalism Awards 2016 onwards

Awards judge, The Press Awards 2023 onwards

Awards judge, PSVI Film Competition 2019

Awards judge, Royal Television Society Student Media Awards 2018

Awards judge, ITV News Group 2014-19

External examiner:

Goldsmiths: MA Journalism 2021-25

Leeds Trinity University: BA Hons Broadcast Journalism (2018-21)

University of Bedfordshire: BA Hons Broadcast Journalism and BA Hons Sports Journalism (2015-19)

University of Lincoln: BA Hons Journalism (2015-18)

Broadcast Journalism Training Council accreditation inspector. (2016 onwards)