معرفی
Dr. Julie Freeman is a Senior Lecturer in Communication at Deakin University's School of Communication and Creative Arts within the Faculty of Arts and Education. Based at the Melbourne Burwood Campus, she specializes in research examining how rural and regional news media ecologies and internet connectivity impact communities' digital inclusion and democratic engagement. She is an active member of the Rural News, Networks and Imaginaries Research Cluster and holds an ORCID identifier 0000-0002-7599-4105.
Dr. Freeman's research interests focus on rural and regional communities, local news and journalism, internet connectivity and digital inclusion, local government, and civic participation and engagement. Her work critically examines the relationship between media environments, digital infrastructure, and community engagement in rural contexts, particularly how limited connectivity affects social, civic, and political participation. She investigates how rural communities navigate digital exclusion and develop technological literacy to address connectivity challenges, conceptualizing rural internet experiences as shaped by 'interrupted access.'
Her scholarly contributions reveal consistent themes across media studies, communication, and rural sociology. Freeman's research demonstrates how rural news deserts impact community cohesion and democratic processes, while also highlighting innovative local solutions to connectivity challenges. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical policy implications for improving digital inclusion in underserved regions, with significant attention to the intersection of environmental issues, media representation, and community activism in rural settings.
Dr. Freeman has received recognition for her teaching excellence:
- Deans Commendation for Dedication to and Excellence in Teaching (Faculty of Arts, Monash University, 2010)
As an academic supervisor, Dr. Freeman currently guides multiple doctoral candidates including Daniel Fritz Silvallana, Barbara Joy Evans, and Juecheng YANG, while previously supervising Marco Magasic to completion in 2022. Her research has been supported by several grants including the 'Northbourne Pending: Digital Consultation Strategies for Community Engagement in Urban Planning' from ACT Government (2014) and 'Enhancing Public Organisations' Digital Literacy to Facilitate Online Engagement' from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (2013).
Dr. Freeman is actively involved in the Rural News, Networks and Imaginaries Research Cluster and serves on the Faculty of Arts & Education Human Ethics Advisory Group, the Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee, and the Faculty of Arts & Education Teaching & Learning Committee, contributing to institutional governance and academic quality.
