In 2026, JERAA will award up to $9,500 to support journalism studies research projects from deserving applicants in the following categories:

1. One award of up to $2,500 for a JERAA member up to five years post-PhD
2. One award of up to $7,000 for a JERAA member between 6-15 years post-PhD

Nb: The number of awards and their value is up to the discretion of the assessment committee. The committee might decide to not award any grants or to vary the number or value of grants based on the number and quality of applications.

Award details

The grant will assist the successful applicant to conduct a small-scale research project with outcomes that can be delivered in 2 years. The aim of this scheme is to assist journalism and media scholars to illustrate their capacity to design/manage a project, boost their research profile, and increase leverage when applying for future research funding. We particularly welcome applications that are designed to build track record and that may lead to subsequent larger competitive grant applications.

2026 Research Award Winners: Nat Kassel, Ayesha Jehangir and Tai Neilson

Nat Kassel
This research project examines the role of Substack, the subscriber-funded newsletter platform, in contemporary journalistic work, exploring how Australian journalists navigate issues of occupational precarity, underemployment and unpaid labour on the platform. Amidst a media industry in crisis, Substack is gaining notoriety as a platform where journalists can reach audiences and earn a “livelihood” or a “salary” through self-publishing. And yet the financial viability of the platform remains unclear. Journalism faces an ongoing crisis of funding and this project seeks to understand whether Substack offers a model for genuine economic sustainability or repackages occupational precarity.

Ayesha Jehangir
Australia is witnessing the rapid emergence of independent digital journalism ventures established outside legacy media organisations. Yet little is known about who is founding these organisations, why they are doing so, or how they are reshaping Australia’s news ecosystem. This project will provide the first systematic study of Australia’s emerging independent journalism through ecosystem mapping, content analysis and interviews with founders and editors. By examining the motivations, editorial philosophies and public-interest commitments underpinning these ventures, the project will generate a foundational evidence base for researchers, educators, practitioners and policymakers while advancing scholarship on journalism innovation and independent media in Australia.

Tai Neilson
This project examines how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping journalism employment in Australia by analysing AI-related job advertisements posted by news organisations. It investigates whether dedicated AI journalism roles are being created and how AI-related skills and knowledge are being incorporated into traditional newsroom positions. Building on previous research into social media editor roles, the study uses quantitative and qualitative analysis to understand changing employer expectations and professional identities. The findings will provide evidence of AI’s impact on journalism recruitment in Australia in ways that inform journalism education and the future of journalism labour. The study represents a pilot project intended to develop best practices for studying employment trends related to technological change in the media industry across Australia and our region.

History of the Grants

The grants commenced in 2011, following evidence in current research that pointed to a gap in opportunities for mid-career journalism academics to develop the research outcomes and profile needed to advance themselves into the professoriate and other higher levels of Australian universities. Compared to the overall profile of Australian academics, journalism academics are disproportionately clustered at Levels B and C. Many journalism academics spend most of their time teaching, striving with some success to be research active, and with less than average opportunities for promotion to a professorial position (Bromley, forthcoming). The research indicates a need to support further development of critical research within the journalism academy, with particular attention to the fact that research activity appears to stall at Senior Lecturer level (Bromley and Neal 2011, p. 67). Consequently, at the end of 2011, two research grants were offered to mid-career journalism academics.

No evidence has come to light that the situation described above has shifted significantly. Until evidence pointing to greater movement beyond Senior Lecturer level in the field of journalism research, JERAA will keep offering the research grants to mid-career journalism academics.

References

Bromley, M. (2014). Field maturation in journalism: The role of hackademics as a ‘motley crew’. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 17(1), 3-19. doi: 10.1177/1367877913483423

Bromley, M. (2013). The ‘new majority’ and the academization of journalism. Journalism: theory, practice and criticism. doi: 10.1177/1464884912453285

Michael Bromley and Regan Neal (2011) ‘Publishing, participation and productivity among journalist-academics in the era of ERA’, Australian Journalism Review, 33(1): 55-72.

*At times the grant will be reviewed and the JERAA Executive may opt to not issue calls during the review.

Past Winners

2025 Research Award Winner: Drs Silvia Montaña-Niño and Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos

The winners of the 2025 JERAA research award were Drs Silvia Montaña-Niño of the University of Melbourne and Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos of Macquarie University.

The pair’s project: “Public Data Purges: Exploring Impacts for Evidence-based Journalism in a Polarised World” addresses the disappearance of government data as a challenge to evidence-based journalism.

The project examines how data and investigative journalists are impacted by the systematic purging and alteration of datasets. Through a

comparative analysis of five cases (the United States, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, and Indonesia), it maps innovative data initiatives and civic resistance strategies journalists are developing.

The project’s primary tangible outputs are anticipated to include:

1) A Risk Assessment Framework, an evidence-based tool empowering journalists to proactively identify and preserve vulnerable datasets before they are lost;

2) A Best-Practice Newsroom Strategies Guide for Data Access to provide actionable steps for fostering a culture of data stewardship, covering documentation, preservation, and training; and

3) An empirical research study that will be submitted for peer review consideration in Australian Journalism Review, acknowledging JERAA’s contribution.

Beyond these outputs, the project will enhance journalistic preparedness, contribute to a more resilient information ecosystem, increase public awareness about the importance of public datasets, and ultimately promote greater government transparency and accountability in Australia and globally. This initial seed project is also intended to lay the groundwork for a future, larger-scale ARC-funded project.

The judges praised the application as an interesting and novel take on a topic that needs more recognition. They commended the application on its careful planning, thoughtful methodology that complements the study’s research questions, impressive scope, feasibility within the project timeline, and realistic budgeting. The judges also commended the applicants on their research contributions to date and how this project advances that existing track record.

2024 Research Award Winner: Dr Josie Vine

Dr Vine’s Project: Community-run hyperlocal news: sustainability, ‘professionalisation’ and the “whole journalism” endeavour.

This pilot project investigates the impact of sustainability on community-run hyperlocal news’ citizen-led structures and public interest ethos. It argues securing community-run hyperlocal news’ sustainability is increasingly urgent, both globally and in Australia, as the sector progressively replaces the democratic/civic function of the local commercial news.

This pilot project is a strategic step towards strengthening relationships with industry partners (LINA) and the development of an ARC Discovery Grant application. Anticipated outputs resulting from this pilot project include a practical ‘How to Guide’ aimed at industry, two journal articles, and two conference presentations.

Judge’s comments: This applicant’s submission most clearly addressed the aim of the Research Grant Award, that is, to assist journalism and media scholars to illustrate their capacity to design & manage a project, boost their research profile, and increase leverage when applying for future research funding. The applicant’s pilot project will investigate the impact of sustainability on community-run hyperlocal news’ citizen-led structures and public interest ethos. The applicant indicates the pilot project is a strategic step towards strengthening relationships with industry partners (LINA) and the development of an ARC Discovery Grant application.

Judge’s comments: Very worthwhile project, clearly conceptualised and with potential to benefit not just the discipline but society more widely. The only application to refer to ARC Grant capacity for immediate industry impact.

Judge’s comments: A strong proposal about a valuable topic in Australian media. While the concept of volunteers and professionalism is a tricky one to combine, this project highlights the need for a greater understanding of hyperlocal journalism and provides practical implications (a how to guide) and academic output aims. The timelines are appropriate and the steps towards an ARC grant are logical.

2023 Research Award Winner: Dr Belinda Middleweek

The winner of the 2023 JERAA award is Dr Belinda Middleweek of the University of Technology Sydney.

Through interviews with journalists, she will explore how the body is operationalised in the practice and conception of news work.

The judges said Middleweek’s proposal was well-supported and informed by recent journalism scholarship on the body and the emotional turn in journalism studies, as well as her own published research. They praised her innovative approach and focus on a problem that needs to be addressed and anticipate her research achieving significant outcomes.

Dr Belinda Middleweek is a Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the School of Communications at UTS. She has worked as a news producer for Australia’s top rating breakfast television programs Sunrise and The Morning Show and for the nightly current affairs program Today Tonight (Seven Network). Her research focuses on the social implications of media technologies, emerging trends in journalism and transdisciplinary approaches to human-tech interactions.

2022 Research Award Winner: Dr Huck Ying Ch’ng

The winner of the 2022 JERAA research award is Dr Huck Ying Ch’ng of RMIT University.

She will undertake a comparative case study of how Indigenous constitutional reform is covered by Asian-Australian ethnic media and mainstream English-language media. The judges said the proposal was timely, original, significant and addressed gaps in knowledge about how Australia’s ethnic media convey critical debates about complex social and policy issues to do with Indigenous peoples, rights and identities.  Her study builds on earlier work and is clearly staged to develop her research track record and to position her to apply for competitive funding.

Dr Huck Ying Ch’ng is a lecturer and the Deputy Program Manager of the Journalism Program at RMIT University. She has researched in the areas of ethnic minority media in Australia, citizenship and the governance of identity, and inter-cultural/cross-cultural communication. She is currently working within a research trajectory addressing issues of public/media representations of/by Asian Australians and their engagement with/on various issues of national importance, which contributes to improving Australia’s cultural literacy within the Asia-Pacific region. Besides English, Ying is fluent in Mandarin and Hokkien and competent in Malay/Bahasa Indonesia.

2021 Research Award Winner: Dr Heather Anderson and Dr Bridget Backhaus

Project: Codes in Practice: a critical analysis of news and current affairs on community radio

This research project interrogates how effectively news and current affairs (NCAF) on Australian community radio upholds and promotes the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia Codes of Practice. Using content analysis and semi-structured interviews they focus on a) the extent to which stories broadcast on Community Radio News and The Wire address Code 2 – Principles of Diversity and Independence; Code 3 – General Programming (provide access to views not adequately represented by other broadcasting sectors); and Code 4 – Indigenous programming and coverage of Indigenous issues, and b) how producers of these shows perceive their responsibilities in relation to the Codes. The research aims to develop a stronger understanding of the scope and quality of NCAF on Australian community radio, and to highlight best practice in NCAF production.

The judging panel noted that their application was selected from a very strong field of applicants. The panel noted:

“Their proposed project involves a very good case study about a topic of substantive importance to journalism research and practice. It will set them up very well to apply for an ARC grant or other competitive funding in the future. The application was clearly written with concise, pertinent details of the methodology that will serve well to address the research problem. The project was well scoped to be achievable within the timeline and budget/other resources available for the research, and they have clearly demonstrated the potential significance and impact of the intended outcomes. As early career academics they have demonstrated excellent publication track records following their PhD completions and build well on the track record that Griffith University has for research in this subject area.”

2020 Research Award Winner: Dr  Chrisanthi Giotis

Project: Teaching each other trust in the fake news era

This pilot project will test a unique media research technique that sees audiences and journalists examining pieces of reportage together. This engenders a relationship of trust on both sides, while providing the journalist with feedback and diverse perspectives which they can incorporate into their practice. Meanwhile, researchers gain a greater understanding of the linked socio-political drivers behind distrust, news avoidance, polarisation and fake news.

The judging panel commended Dr Giotis’ innovative frame reflection interview methodology, which brings journalists, audiences, students and researchers together to explore the factors that lead to trust and distrust in news journalism. They indicated that the development of this approach could usefully inform journalism practice and research, and help the media build better community relations around the coverage of contentious issues.

Dr. Giotis’ work focuses on changing journalism practice to promote marginalised voices. As a working journalist she covered Indigenous issues in the Dubbo area, and as an academic, her reporting on marginalised young people in Western Sydney won the Dame Mary Gilmore Prize for Journalism. More recently she worked with Congolese refugees, seeking their input before reporting on refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This  led to her current postdoctoral position at the Centre for Media Transition, University of Technology Sydney, examining best practice journalism at the global-local interface and how this relates to trust in the media.

Previous winners:

Maxine Newlands – How has journalistic practice shaped public knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef: A discourse analysis of the media clippings 2003-2018

Dr Peter English –  A typology of Australian sport journalism

Dr Deb Anderson – Courting Disaster: cyclone reporting in a climate change world

Dr Stephanie Brooks – Checking the Facts: The impact of new sources of political information on ‘legacy’ election coverage in Australia and the United States

Dr Sue Joseph and Dr Carolyn Rickett – The Ethical HDR Supervision of Literary Journalism: managing long form trauma narrative within the Australian tertiary sector

Dr Caroline Fisher – Press Secretary to Press Gallery: managing conflict of interest and perceptions of partisanship

Dr Folker Hanusch – Examining the influence of journalists’ professional views on news content

Dr Lisa Waller – Developing a Southern approach to the study of news media and Indigeneity

Dr Kathryn Bowd – Left Behind or Making their Own Way?: online and interactive communication and small-town newspaper journalists’ professional practice

Dr Colleen Murrell – Australian and Canadian Public Service Broadcasting: an investigation of international newsgathering capabilities on restricted budgets

Dr Zala Volcic – Continuous Battle: the relationship between journalists and politicians in Slovenia.