ProfessorKristy Hess

Kristy examines the future of local news, media policy and audience engagement in a digital world. Her research explores how media-related practices inform understandings of news sustainability and how people shape perceptions of, connect and engage in local and civic settings. Kristy also researches the notion of news deserts and vulnerable areas of the media ecology, examining problems such as misinformation and the impact of social media platforms on quality civic engagement. Since 2018 she has been involved in four Australian Research Council grants and other national projects that draw on her expertise on local media, digital journalism, rural and disaster communication. She is currently leading an ARC Linkage examining local news sustainability and the role of Australia's main public broadcaster, the ABC in supporting the sector and is a chief investigator on an ARC Discovery researching dark political communication (led by QUT). In 2024 she received an ICA international public engagement award for journalism studies and has research partnerships across the globe.