Dr. Andrea Jean Baker is an internationally-award winning journalist, accomplished academic, tertiary educator and researcher within the School of Media, Film and Journalism. She is a prominent scholar known for her extensive work in interdisciplinary fields, particularly focusing on feminist journalism studies, criminology, ethnomusicology, and urban studies. Conducting impactful, socially relevant research, Dr. Baker focuses on urban communication, the safety of journalists, media reporting on violence against women in the Global North and Global South from a constructive journalism lens, and the impact of emerging technologies (from net-radio to Artificial Intelligence) on journalism practice.  

Academic Background:  Dr. Baker earned her PhD in Communications from Monash University, where her research focused on comparing transnational media consumption habits—specifically music, radio, and internet—among journalism students at Monash University (Australia) and City University in New York (USA).

Key Achievements:

• Jan- April 2025, completed a Certificate in Human Centred-Artificial Intelligence at Stanford University in the United States (Global Online Education). 
• Since March, 2025: Nominated member of the International Communication Associations' (Journalism Studies), Public Engagment Committee. 
• Led significant contributions through teaching, research and engagement, and industry reports, particularly in topics concerning the safety of journalists, media coverage of violence against women. 
• Helped to set up Australia's first student-led, net radio station, which was tied to her PhD outcomes. 
• Devised and led the first, 4 international journalism field trips for undergraduate and postgraduate journalism students in Australia to the prestigious media units in New York City, London, Brussels and Paris (BBC, Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Agence France-Presse, The Times, The Guardian, UN Media Unit, UNESCO Media Unit and the European Commission).   
• Contributed to national education modules about improving the media reporting of violence against women for governments and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs).  
• Awarded prestigious research fellowships to City University of New York and University of Texas at Austin (USA), and Freie Universitat, Berlin (Germany).
• Dr. Baker's research about safety of journalists and #MeToo media is cited in major reports by UNICEF & UN Women and UNESCO.
• Led, edited, and contributed to, influential global books tied to the safety of journalists, sexual violence and #MeToo media, with 35  journalism scholars (Australia, U.K., USA, Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia).   
• Secured extramural (Governments, NGOs) and internal university grants, more than $AUD 300,000 for her research projects and initiatives.

Research and Publications: Dr. Baker's significant research contributions is illustrated in over 80 peer-reviewed, academic outputs, including 4 books, 35 chapters, 16 journal articles, co-editor of 2 special journal editions, editior of 2 industry reports, and more than 24 journalism pieces, commentaries and podcasts for mainstream media. Her work has been published in top media, communications and journalism academic journals and in 6 edited-scholarly books (Palgrave; Routledge x 2; Bloomsbury Academic; Oxford University Press; Manchester University Press). Most notable are Dr Baker's 4 books, 2 of which are award winning:

•  Violence Against Women in the Global South: Reporting in the #MeToo Era (2023, Palgrave/Springer), as lead editor, nominated for the International Journal of Press/Politics Hazel Gaudet-Erskine Best Book Award 2024. 
• Reporting on Sexual Violence in the #MeToo Era (2023, Routledge), as lead editor.
• The Great Music City: Exploring Music, Space, and Identity (2019, Palgrave Macmillan), sole author.  Best Education/Academic Book (2019),  International Book Festival.
• Virtual Radio Gaga: Youth and Net-Radio: Exploring Subcultural Models of Audiences  (2012, Hampton Press), sole author. International Association for Media and Communication Research (2011), prestigious publication award.

In 2025, Dr. Baker is working on 2 more books: leading a 3rd edited collection (with journalism and media scholars from around the globe) and her 4th monograph. The ongoing publications reflect Dr. Baker's deep involvement in addressing complex social issues like gender dynamics and media safety through rigorous scholarly work.

Teaching and Engagement: In addition to her research, Dr. Baker  coordinates and develops curriculum for media and communications and journalism studies and journalism practice. Continuing to seek in-depth knowledge of emerging technologies (net-radio and Artifical Intelligence) to enhance her research and teaching practices, tied to media coverage of violence, intersectionality  and constructive journalism in the #MeToo era. Dr. Baker has participated in practical workshops about Data Journalism, News Text, Audio and Artificial Intelligence, and has integrated this knowledge into the curriculum (i.e. in 2024, Practice of Journalism; Photojournalism, and Journalism and Global Change). Her dedication to teaching innovations and research-led teaching has led to university teaching awards, and nominations for a national teaching award.  

Academic Leadership: With a post-graduate degree in management, Dr. Baker has extensive leadership and administrative experience within the media and health industries and university sectors. She has held key leadership roles, such as the Undergraduate, Honours, Research Coordinator to Acting Head for the Journalism program; co-coordinated of the journalism internship program, and the School-based, Ph.D., and Masters by Research programs and has been a Arts representative on  the Faculty board for 2 terms. 

 Contributions to the Field: Underscoring her commitment to advancing the field of journalism and media studies, Dr. Baker is a member of International Association of Media and Communications (IAMCR); International Communications Association (ICA) and Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (AEJMC). She serves on editorial boards of high ranking journals, such as Journalism Practice,  and is a peer reviewer for other quality journals (Journalism; Feminist Media Studies; Violence Against Women) and for global conference papers (IAMCR; ICA and AEJMC), continually impacting the broader media landscape. Dr. Baker has presented her research in the Global North (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Cardiff, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Washington D.C., Austin (Texas), New York City, Detroit, Montreal, Toronto) and the Global South (Moscow, Cairo, Hyderabad, Mexico City, Kenya). 

Research interests: Andrea has supervised or examined 12 PhDs and Masters theses and 16 Honours research projects to successful completion. She welcomes Masters by Research and PhD supervisions in journalism and communications studies in the following areas:

• Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Journalism Practice
• Journalism Studies 
• Traditional PhD or PhD by exegesis.  
• Radio studies
• Music cities 
• Safety of journalists
• Global South media 
• #MeToo media 
• Feminist Media Studies
• News Cultures
• Digital Media Cultures
• Sexual violence in the media or music industries
• Intersectionality
• Constructive journalism  
• Arts journalism  

Teaching Commitments:

Unit Coordinator, Lecturer in 2025: ATS3645: Journalism and Global Change; ATS3324. Lifestyle Journalism.  

Post-Graduate supervision: Accepting Masters by Research and PhDs.