Ashleigh Haw is a Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media at the University of Canberra and a core member of the News and Media Research Centre. Her research specialises in advancing social inclusion in mediated communication, with a special interest in understanding how marginalised communities engage with (and are impacted by) news and digital media representation of their needs and experiences. Ashleigh’s most recent research used Covid-19 as a case study to examine the social and health implications of mediated exclusion and mis/disinformation during global crisis events; emphasising notable implications for research and practice at the intersections of communication, sociology, and critical disability studies.

Ashleigh was awarded a PhD in Sociology from the University of Western Australia in 2019 and completed a Master of Education from the University of Sydney in 2013. She has 15 years’ experience teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate subjects in media, communication, social policy, and social change. Prior to her academic career, Ashleigh worked for nine years in community and policy development roles, primarily centred around advancing equity and inclusion for migrants, refugees, people with disability, and families impacted by gender-based violence. She is also a lived experience advocate for disability justice and accessibility, and draws on her lived experience and extensive work with marginalised communities to inform her research and teaching practice.

Ashleigh teaches into UC’s Bachelor and Master of Communication programs, including the following units: Communicating with Diverse Audiences (11938); Ethics and Inclusion in Organisational Communication (12080); Reputation: Issues and Crisis Communication (12081); and Producing Credible Communication (11080).