Aoife Barry is a freelance journalist and broadcaster who has been working in the media for over 15 years. She is the author of the bestselling non-fiction book Social Capital (HarperCollins Ireland), about the impact of social media on our lives in Ireland, which was nominated for an Irish Book Award in 2023.
As well as extensive experience as a reporter, she is a former Assistant News Editor at The Journal, which involved helping to run a busy newsroom of up to 18 reporters. During her 12 years at The Journal she was involved in editing and writing fact checks and debunks on a range of topics, including during major events such as referendums and general elections.
She has also worked as a news reporter in several newsrooms, including The Evening Echo, the Sligo Weekender and the Kildare Nationalist. Her bylines include the Sunday Times (where she is a weekly arts columnist), the Irish Times, the Irish Independent, the Business Post, The Journal and the Examiner. She features regularly on RTÉ Radio One and Today FM.
She holds an MA in Women’s Studies and a BA in English and History from University College Cork.
Areas of expertise: Aoife has considerable experience of working within the Irish media and is keen to explain how the media works to people from outside of that sphere. She has a personal interest in social media and how it affects how we engage with the media. She is also a writing facilitator and has been involved in training journalists within The Journal newsroom, and is experienced in moderating events and panels.
