Bonita Mason is a senior lecturer in journalism and professional writing. She teaches first-year, audio and online journalism, feature writing, and specialist Indigenous reporting. Her research covers critical reflexivity in journalism studies, practice and education. It focuses on the relationship between settler Australia and First Nations peoples, and on reporting Indigenous deaths in custody. As an academic and as a Walkley Award-winning freelance journalist, Bonita has published in books and magazines, on industry websites and in academic journals. She is completing a manuscript, Journalism Practice and Critical Reflexivity, for Routledge.
She has previously worked as a journalism lecturer at Curtin University, a media studies tutor at UTS, a researcher and assistant editor at the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, and as a policy adviser and speechwriter for government. She has also worked with national, regional and local Indigenous organisations in Australia. Her PhD, A Death in Custody Story: Critical reflexivity in journalism and writing, won the 2013 Edith Cowan University Faculty of Education and Arts Research Medal.
Bonita supervises honours students, has supervised MA and PhD students to successful completion, and is open to discussions about possible projects.