Our team leads both critical and applied studies with partners and institutions in Australia and internationally.
About N&MRC
The News and Media Research Centre (N&MRC) advances public understanding of the changing media environment. N&MRC is Australia’s nationally recognised research centre for the study of news media industries, audiences and public discourse. At a time of epistemic crisis for the media industries, we research and advocate for a media system that builds trust, inclusivity and diversity, to defend and repair the social fabric.
N&MRC Research
Audiences, users and publics
Audiences, users and publics
We investigate how people engage, understand and use media in their lives. Building from the longitudinal Digital News Report: Australia and Heartbeat of Australia projects and qualitative health communication research, researchers apply survey analytic and ethnographic methods to better understand audience experience of emerging platforms and digital technologies in their social contexts. Our research focuses particularly on understanding and reaching diverse regional and marginalized audiences, building digital inclusion and information literacy to build community resilience to phenomena such as misinformation and climate shocks.
Media practice and social impact
Media practice and social impact
Our research explores the role and performance of news and media in contemporary society. Researchers using qualitative and mixed-methods explore the emergence of issues through media practice and digital networks. We examine the framing of critical debates and public crises such as Covid-19, mental health and illness, child sexual abuse and gambling, and how their media representation influences political systems and media institutions. Research provides evidence to address issues such as lack of diversity in newsrooms and how to grow Indigenous media networks. How do we define and implement ‘quality’ journalism in the face of economic and technological disruption?
News and media policy futures
News and media policy futures
Our researchers address pressing problems in media and communications policy and emerging possibility in the news, media and broader creative industries. The aim is to provide an evidence base to guide good policy development and trust in media systems, through engaging in critical media policy issues including public interest journalism, digital commons, platforms and misinformation, local media, media diversity, access and inclusion, and future trends. We provide evidence to national parliamentary and government inquiries informing the development of policy in an age of industrial disruption.
N&MRC Reports
Digital News Report: Australia 2024
Digital News Report: Australia 2024
Digital News Report: Australia provides insights into contemporary issues that are relevant to public communication including the declining trust in news, the proliferation of misinformation on digital platforms and the rapidly shifting news consumption habits. It is part of a long running international survey coordinated by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, an international research centre in the comparative study of journalism based at the University of Oxford. The Digital News Report delivers comparative data on media usage in 46 countries and across 6 continents.
The Media Guides for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse Project
The Media Guides for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse Project
The N&MRC was commissioned by the National Office for Child Safety to develop evidence-based Guides to encourage and support responsible, trauma-informed reporting of child sexual abuse in the media, and to equip and support victims and survivors to liaise productively and safely with media. The Guides were developed through an extensive process of academic literature review, comparative guidelines review, qualitative and quantitative media analysis and a multi-phased consultation process with key stakeholders from media, child safety sectors and victims and survivors.
Visit the Media Guides for Reporting on Child Sexual Abuse Project webpage.
Gender special issue
Gender special issue
This special issue of the Digital News Report: Australia 2023 focuses on gender differences in consumption, perceptions of and engagement with news as well as views on key news topics, such as climate change and reporting on gender issues. Data from nine previous issues of the Digital News Report: Australia 2015-2023 consistently show a gender gap in news consumption and attitudes towards news. In this special issue we conducted a comprehensive analysis of these gender differences in a global context.
Understanding Gambling Harm in the Digital Age
Understanding Gambling Harm in the Digital Age
Much is known about community views on gambling advertisements and tagline style communication such as ‘gamble responsibly’. We know less about community perceptions of gambling harm and the kinds of messages they think should be promoted to raise awareness and inform people about gambling harm. What types of messages do they believe are important? What should be avoided? What messages resonate and why?
This research project sought to identify ACT community attitudes and beliefs about gambling harm, levels of understanding of different types of harm, and views on how best to approach harm mitigation and prevention practices. Guided by a public health approach, this research undertook a survey of ACT community members, interviews and focus groups with members of the community as well as professionals and experts in their fields and developed and tested communication materials. It is one of the first major research projects in the ACT which has explored gambling harm from a public health communication perspective.
The findings of this research have now been published and are available to .
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Short courses
Current and upcoming NMRC short courses.
Journals and publications
Explore NMRC journals and publications by researcher.
Research projects
NMRC conducts breakthrough research with industry, government and community partners, locally and internationally.
Reports
NMRC annual and research reports.
Building Resilience with Information Literacy and Information Health
How can people become more resilient to misinformation? What exactly does resilience mean when it comes to information literacy? Where can information resilience be collectively experienced, and developed?
University of Canberra
Building 9, Level C, Room 10
11 Kirinari Street
Bruce, ACT 2617
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