Irish Academic Tom Felle Falsely Claimed Doctorate from London University

A leading Irish academic and prominent voice on media disinformation has found himself at the center of an escalating controversy after a major investigative report revealed he has been falsely claiming to hold a doctorate from a prestigious English university. Tom Felle, an associate professor at the University of Galway and former head of its Department of Journalism and Media, was routinely identified as “Dr Tom Felle” in university prospectuses, official faculty pages, and even in a formal submission delivered on university notepaper to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport earlier this year, according to an investigation by RTE.ie.

The disclosures cut directly into the professional credibility of a scholar who has built a public career warning society about the dangers of online falsehoods. For years, Mr Felle has positioned himself as an authority on media trust, appearing across television, radio, and print to dissect verification issues, information disorder, and the online abuse of female politicians. His advisory footprint extended well beyond the classroom; in 2024, he was appointed as an expert assessor for Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, and he has served as a judge for the Irish Journalism Awards.

Mr Felle Could Not Recall His Thesis Title

The credentials in question center on City, University of London—now known as City St George’s—where Mr Felle previously worked as a senior lecturer in a department widely regarded as the most distinguished journalism school in Britain. Mr Felle maintained that he secured a doctorate from the institution in 2022 via a non-traditional route known as a PhD by prior publication, consisting of journal articles compiled over five or six years. Yet, when questioned by journalists regarding his academic background, he could not recall the title of his own thesis, suggesting it was something vaguely related to media, democracy, and changing times.

Irish Academic Tom Felle Falsely Claimed Doctorate from London University

Official records from the institution tell a vastly different story. A former senior academic at City St George’s revealed that while Mr Felle initially registered for a PhD under a supervisor, he never completed the work, left the university, and did not pursue the degree to completion. Standard university regulations dictate that any completed PhD thesis must be submitted to the library for public accessibility, yet no record of Mr Felle's thesis exists in the university’s holdings.

The timeline collapsed completely following inquiries under the UK’s Freedom of Information Act. When pressed by investigators, City St George’s ultimately issued a definitive review stating that none of the four journalism PhDs awarded during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years were granted via prior publication. This directly contradicted Mr Felle’s assertion that he received the degree from the institution in 2022.

Institutional Silence and Erasure of Titles

As the discrepancies came to light, the response from the institutions involved varied between silence and quiet administrative cleanup. City St George’s declined to comment on individual alumni records without direct consent, citing data protection obligations, but formally clarified that all doctoral degrees strictly require a supervisor, an external examiner, and a successful oral defense, known as a viva voce. Mr Felle had previously told reporters that his doctoral process involved none of these traditional oversight mechanisms.

Meanwhile, the University of Galway adopted a guarded stance, stating that any questions regarding the veracity of academic records remain a private internal matter. Despite declining to answer direct inquiries about whether they had verified Mr Felle’s qualifications prior to his appointment or his recent appearances representing the university, the institution acted swiftly online. Numerous university webpages, social media posts, and promotional prospectuses that previously honored him with the “Dr” prefix were quietly edited or deleted entirely.

Attempts by journalists to secure further clarification from Mr Felle met with silence. Following an initial phone conversation in June, multiple sets of detailed follow-up queries sent via email, text messages, and phone calls went unanswered.

Fallout for a Department Seeking Stability

The revelation lands as a bitter blow to the University of Galway’s Department of Journalism, an academic body that has fought hard to rebuild its standing following turbulence in 2018, when the university was forced to refund student fees following complaints regarding the substandard quality of certain courses. Tom Felle was the figure brought in to lead the department and steady its reputation. Now, the institution faces searching questions about oversight, vetting, and accountability at the highest levels of its academic leadership.