About Donnacha DeLong

Donnacha DeLong (aside from a slightly troubling tendency to refer to himself in the third person) is an online journalist with more than fifteen years’ professional experience. Donnacha has relaunched his career as an online communications consultant as Autonomy Consulting and is also working as a freelance writer and conference rent-a-mouth. Donnacha completed an MA in Political Communications in 2011.

Donnacha is a past President of the National Union of Journalists and has been a very active member of the union as long as he’s been working as a journalist.

Over the years, he has held a variety of different positions in the union. He’s been Father of the RTÉ Interactive Chapel; Secretary of the Dublin Broadcasting Branch; Chair of the Online Media Joint Council; Chair of the Development Committee; and is now NEC member representing New Media and one of the two London representatives on the New Media Industrial Council. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also been a workplace shop steward and negotiator for Unite the Union.

Professionally, Donnacha was Senior Site Editor of amnesty.org from 2007 until 2010, having previously edited the news.amnesty part of the website (which disappeared with the 10 December 2007 redesign) from 2003 to 2007. In that time, he wrote feature articles about human rights issues around the world, led a team of journalists, developed strategies for the website and contributed to the development of global campaigning work.

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Donnacha worked on the RTÉ News website in the heyday of the dot-boom. He worked there through the early days of online journalism from 1998 until 2002 when the impact of the dot.bomb crash led to cuts in the department. Donnacha played a key part in developing online journalism in Ireland and building an international audience for news from Ireland, including acting as editor of the news website between 2001 and 2002 before he left.

Other things Donnacha has done include editing Sorted magAZine for quite a few years. Many CDs were reviewed, bands interviewed and gig guestlists inhabited before Donnacha got a bit tired of analysing everything and decided to start simply enjoying music again.

Donnacha lives this busy life in London with his partner Olivia. When not over-working, he is often to be seen eating out, going to gigs and, though it might shock people who have known Donnacha over the years, playing softball and dodgeball (yes, Donnacha DeLong now plays sport).

Contact him at donnacha DOT delong AT talktalk DOT net

Or find him on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

7 thoughts on “About Donnacha DeLong”

  1. You are on the money when it comes to consumerism but off the pace when it comes to realising that the online media are a crucial and controlling part of it. It’s all owned and contolled in a wonderfully old fashioned absolutist way by private capital. Ironic then that you should make it your raison d’etre. Good luck with the consultancy. “The Revolution has been Privatised”.

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