Biography

Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies

Kerry McCallum

Kerry McCallum’s research focuses on media representation, public opinion, and policy development, particularly in the areas of Indigenous affairs and related social policy. As a member of the Public Communication Research Cluster, Kerry has been an investigator on several federally funded research collaborations is first Chief Investigator on the ARC Discovery Grant ‘Australian News Media and Indigenous Policymaking 1988-2008’ (DP0987457). She holds a PhD and BA (Communication) from the University of Canberra.

Kerry is Head of Discipline of Journalism and Communication in the Faculty of Arts and Design (FAD), a member of the FAD Research Committee and the University of Canberra Research Committee.  She has convened the Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies, the Bachelor of Communication (Honours), and has taught in political communication, public opinion and social research methods. She supervises several research students in the Faculty.

Kerry is actively involved in the field of communication and media studies in Australia. She was President of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA from 2010-2011, and in 2010 she organized the ANZCA conference ‘Media, Democracy and Change’ at Old Parliament House, Canberra. Kerry is a member of the ATLC-funded (2011-13) project to develop a Journalism, Media and Communication disciplinary network in Australia, a member of the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) (2011-2016), and has held visiting fellowships at AIATSIS and at George Washington University, Washington, DC.

Prior to entering academic life, Kerry worked in federal politics as policy and media advisor to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, and as an electorate officer to Members of Parliament in the ACT, NSW and SA. She brings this professional experience to her teaching and research, and maintains an active interest in Australian politics, ‘mainstream’ and Indigenous.

Selected publications

Monographs

McCallum, K. (2007). ‘Public opinion about Indigenous issues in Australia: local talk and journalistic practice’. Australian Journalism Monographs. Gold Coast, QLD, Griffith University.

McKellar, H., as told to K. McCallum, (2000) Woman from No Where. Broom: Magabala Books.

Edited Volumes

McCallum, K. (2010) ed. Media, Democracy and Change. Refereed Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference 2010, http://www.canberra.edu.au/anzca2010/conference-proceedings

Book Chapters

McCallum, K. (2010) News and local talk: Conversations about the ‘crisis of Indigenous violence’ in Australia’ in S. Elizabeth Bird, The anthropology of news and journalism, Evansville: University of Indiana Press, pp. 151-167.

Refereed Journal Articles

McCallum, K. and Waller, L. (2012) ‘Raising the volume: Indigenous voices in news media and policy’, Media International Australia 142, pp. 101-111.

McCallum, K. (2011) ‘Journalism and Indigenous Health policy’, Australian Aboriginal Studies, 2011/Number 2, pp. 21-31.

McCallum. K. and Holland, K. (2010) Indigenous and multicultural discourses in Australian news media reporting, Australian Journalism Review 32 (2), pp. 5-18.

McCallum, K. and Papandrea, F. (2009). Community business: the internet and remote Australian Indigenous communities, New Media and Society 11(7), pp. 1-22.

McCallum, K. & Putnis, P. (2008) ‘Media Management in wartime: the impact of censorship on press-government relations in World War I Australia’. Media History 14 (1), pp. 17-34.

McCallum, K. (2006) Local talk as grounded method: elaborating media and public opinion on Indigenous issues. International Journal of the Humanities 3, pp. 1-10.

Pirkis, J., Blood, R. W., Francis, C. & McCallum, K. (2006) ‘On-screen portrayals of mental illness: extent, nature and impacts’. Journal of Health Communication 11 (5), pp. 523-541.

Blood, R. W., Williams, J. and McCallum, K. (2003) Representations of public risk: Illegal drugs in the Australian press. Media International Australia 108, pp. 82-100.

McCallum, K. (2003) Walking and talking reconciliation: An analysis of the role of local talk as a construction of public opinion on indigenous issues in Australia. Australian Journal of Communication 3 (2), pp. 115-122.

Refereed Conference Papers

Putnis, P. & McCallum, K. (2010). Reuters and the Australian Press During World War 1. Paper presented to the International Communication Association Conference, Singapore, June, 2010.

Putnis, P. & McCallum, K. (2010). In the Service of Empire: Reuters and the Australian Press During World War 1. Paper presented to the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference, Braga, Portugal, July, 2010.

McCallum, K. and Papandrea, F. (2008). ICT users in remote Indigenous communities, Proceedings of the Communications Policy and Research Forum, University of Technology, Sydney, 29-30 September 2008.

Blood, Warwick, Dare, Andrew, McCallum, Kerry, Holland, Kate & Pirkis, Jane (2008) Enduring and competing news frames: Australian newspaper coverage of the deaths by suicides of two Melbourne girls. In E. Tilley (Ed.) Power & Place: Refereed Proceedings of the Australian & New Zealand Communication Association Conference, Wellington, July 9-11.

McCallum, K (2007) ‘Remembering our Indigenous past: Local talk as public opinion about Indigenous history’, Proceedings of the Australian Media Traditions Conference, Charles Sturt University, 22-23 November 2007. Bathurst, Australia

McCallum, K. (2007) ‘Indigenous violence as a ‘mediated public crisis’’, Proceedings of the 2007 Australia New Zealand Communication Association Conference, University of Melbourne, 5-6 July. Melbourne, Australia.

Research Reports

McCallum, K & Holland, K., (2009) Case Study: Mediating the ‘uneasy conversation’: Reporting and engaging with Indigenous and multicultural issues in Australia. In Phillips, G. (April 2009) Reporting Diversity. Report to the Department Immigration and Citizenship. (Chief Investigators G. Phillips and S. Tapsall, K. McCallum, Investigator). Murdoch University in collaboration with University of Canberra.

Papandrea, F., Daly, A. & McCallum, K. (October 2006) Telephone and internet use in remote Indigenous communities. Research report to the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Canberra, (Chief Investigators F. Papandrea, A. Daly and K. McCallum). Communication and Policy Research Institute, University of Canberra.

Heritage Consulting Australia (September 2005) Indigenous women’s site recording, McRae’s paddock, Katoomba, NSW. Report to the Gundungara Aboriginal Community (Chief Investigators: K. McCallum and A. Lance). Canberra, Heritage Consulting Australia.

Blood, R. W. & McCallum, K. (April 2005) Key principles for the reporting of drug issues: Final report. Report to the Australian National Council on Drugs. (Chief Investigators: R. W. Blood and K. McCallum). School of Professional Communication, University of Canberra.

Blood, R. W. & McCallum, K. (March 2005) Key principles for the reporting of drug issues: Position paper. Report to the Australian National Council on Drugs. (Chief Investigators: R. W. Blood and K. McCallum). School of Professional Communication, University of Canberra.

Pirkis, J., Blood, R. W., Francis, C. & McCallum, K. (March 2005) A review of the literature regarding fictional film and television portrayals of mental illness. (Chief Investigators: J. Pirkis & R. W. Blood). Report to the Department of Health and Aged Care. Program Evaluation Unit, University of Melbourne.

Pirkis, J., Blood, R. W., Francis, C. & McCallum, K. (March 2005) A review of the literature regarding fictional film and television portrayals of suicide. (Chief Investigators: J. Pirkis & R. W. Blood). Report to the Department of Health and Aged Care. Program Evaluation Unit, University of Melbourne.
Contact Information 

Back