Alexandra Wake

Professor Alexandra Wake is a leading academic and journalist in the School of Media and Communication at RMIT University. She serves as Program Manager for the Graduate Diploma in Journalism and President of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia. Her research focuses on journalism practice, trauma in the newsroom, international journalism, and media policy. She has held visiting fellowships at institutions like Columbia University and Aarhus University. Prof. Wake has received multiple awards for her contributions to journalism education, research, and Indigenous engagement. She leads Australian Government-funded projects on journalism and mental health, and collaborates internationally on gender, media, and ICTs through UNESCO. She currently supervises seven PhD students and actively contributes to media debates on climate change, media literacy, and global journalism trends.

• Grants:
  • Australian Journalism, Trauma and Community (2024–2027)
  • Mitigating the impact of media on mental illness stigma (2024–2028)
• Fellowships:
  • Visiting Scholar, Columbia University
  • Academic Fellow, Constructive Institute, Aarhus University

Research Interests: Journalism ethics, trauma-informed reporting, international journalism aid, media governance, and media’s role in global challenges like climate change.

Awards: Includes RMIT Dean’s Awards for Indigenous Engagement (2020, 2023), Media Star Awards, and recognition for journalism education innovations.

Labs/Teams: Member of the Journalism Education Trauma Research Group (Oceania co-leader), Dart Centre Asia Pacific, and UNESCO’s Gender, Media and ICTs network.