BA, Dip Ed (Syd) MLitt (UNE) LLM (Bond) PhD (QUT) Mark Pearson has combined careers in teaching and journalism, culminating in his present position as Head of Journalism at Bond University and Co-Director of the Centre for New Media Research and Education. His fields of expertise and research interests include journalism practice, media law and online journalism. As well as teaching in the journalism program at Bond University he also hosts regular training courses for working journalists throughout Australia and the Pacific region. His teaching subjects include introductory journalism practice, newspaper and magazine reporting, editing and publishing, media law and ethics and online journalism. He won the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean's Teaching Award in 1996 and the Dean's research award in 2001. He is the author of "The Journalist's Guide to Media Law" (Allen and Unwin, 2004). (The first edition was short listed in the Tertiary Single Book category for the Australian Awards for Excellence in Educational Publishing in 1998). In 2001 he co-authored "Sources of News and Current Affairs", (with Jeff Brand)(ABA). He also co-authored "Breaking Into Journalism :Your guide to a career in journalism in Australia and New Zealand" (with Jane Johnston) (Allen and Unwin, 1998). He writes a monthly column on research and education for the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association Bulletin, and contributes freelance articles to newspapers and magazines. He was also editor of the Australian Journalism Review in 2001 and 2002. In 1991 he won the Australian Press Council award of Best Postgraduate Research Paper for an article on Self-Regulation of the Media. Professor Pearson has been with the university since its commencement in 1989, after lecturing in journalism for two years at the University of Southern Queensland. Prior to this he worked as Special Reports Editor of The Australian newspaper for four years. He has also held a number of journalistic positions as reporter and sub-editor on suburban and regional newspapers and as press secretary to a Federal MP. He was Vice-President of the Journalism Education Association from 1990-1992 and President from 1992-1994.
Articles
Girls, girls, girls. A study of the popularity of journalism as a career among female teenagers and its corresponding lack of appeal to young males (with Mike Grenby, Molly Kasinger, and Roger Patching), Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2009)
Australian journalism programs have long reported a disproportionate number of female students and the industry...
Australia’s media climate: Time to renegotiate control (with Jane Johnston), Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2008)
In 2007, Australia was rated by two international media bodies as well down the chain...
Government media relations: A 'spin' through the literature (with Roger Patching), Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2008)
Extract:
Government media relations is deserving of serious study because it sits at the interface...
Scandalising media freedom: resurrection of an ancient contempt, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2007)
The ancient charge of “scandalising the court” (publications aiming at lowering the authority of the...
The Australian parliament and press freedom in an international context (with Camille Galvin), Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2007)
This paper reports on a study using grounded theory methodology to track the contexts in...
Books
The Journalist’s Guide to Media Law. Dealing with legal and ethical issues, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2007)
Mark Pearson's widely used introduction to media law takes a journalist's perspective. Writing in a...
Sources of News and Current Affairs (with Jeffrey E. Brand, Deborah Archbold, and Halim Rane), Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2001)
Stage One of the Australian Broadcasting Authority’s (ABA’s) Sources of News and Current Affairs project,...
Book Chapters
Postcards from the coalface: Journalism graduates’ transition to the newsroom, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (1994)
Like many offices, news rooms can be cold and heartless places, staffed by disillusioned people...
Unpublished Papers
Defamation and privacy: The view from Down Under, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2005)
Extract:
Australia is about as far from Oxford as you can get, so why...
Presentations
Learning to value media freedom in an age of spin, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (2007)
Extract:
It is time for those who genuinely believe in the value of press...
Look who's talking: A pilot study of the use of discussion lists by journalism educators and students, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (1996)
This paper analyses postings over a week-long period to two electronic discussion lists to position...
The media and the Internet: Threat or opportunity?, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (1995)
Extract:
I’m a great fan of newspapers. My whole career has been built upon...
Journalism education and the Internet: Conferring in cyberspace, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (1995)
This article analyses postings over a week-long period to two electronic discussion lists to position...
Bridging the gap between education and training in the provincial media, Humanities & Social Sciences papers (1992)
Extract:
While the journalists and the employers want an improvement in work-based skills as...