Research
Journalism research brings a diversity of approaches to the central task of understanding journalism, news media and the public that they serve.
Through timely projects that connect research with practice, and by driving vital conversations with media practitioners and audiences, our staff offer critical perspectives on issues affecting a rapidly transforming industry. Journalism and Media Innovation houses strengths in humanities and social sciences approaches as well as in theory and practice-driven research. Our fields of expertise include: journalism history, war reporting and press photography; media governance, surveillance and freedom; misinformation, fact-checking and political communication; digital communication, musicology, sexual violence and gender; audio journalism and podcasting networks; and the ethical challenges of reporting on environmental disasters and climate change.
We’re home to the Media, Society and the Politics of Change Research Unit, which is dedicated to exploring the intersection of journalism, technological and social change, and the public. The Unit hosts regular talks and events with leading scholars and practitioners, notably engaging with shifts in the media-politics nexus in Australia and our region. Staff hold a range of competitive ARC grants, alongside externally funded projects and international grants. Recent research has shed light on, for example: the history of Australian news photography, the future for public broadcasting, the role of the Press Gallery, the daily work of journalists in China, evolving forms of climate reporting, podcasting networks and Australian reporting of violence against women.
Our researchers also lead and contribute to other research programs in the School of Media, Film and Journalism, including Environment & Media and the Gender and Media Lab.
Learn more about our research programs.
Featured Journalism and Media Innovation Research Projects
Envisaging Citizenship: Australian Histories and Global Connections
Understand the pivotal role images have played in shaping ideas of Australian citizenship and rights - from European settlement to now.
The Culture of Implementing Freedom of Information in Australia
Explore the necessities of accountability when it comes to the implementation of laws and governance.
Examining Sexual Violence in the Music City of Melbourne
Engaging communities within the music scene of Melbourn, this is one of the first Australian projects of its kind.
The Women of the Great Barrier Reef: The Untold Stories of Environmental Conservation in Queensland
A collection of archival and oral history materials helps to uncover and share the roles women have played in the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef.