Rate My Professor Kasun Ubayasiri

Dr Kasun Ubayasiri is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director of Communication and Journalism in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. He obtained his PhD from Queensland University of Technology in 2009, with the dissertation titled 'Media, Tamil Tigers, terrorism and the internet: The cyber interface between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the global media.' Before entering academia, Ubayasiri worked as a print and photojournalist in Sri Lanka and rural and regional Queensland, providing practical insights into conflict reporting and media ethics.

Ubayasiri's research specializations include human rights journalism, conflict journalism, media and armed conflict, refugee migration, journalism ethics, and photojournalism. His publications address terrorist media strategies, framing of Islamism in news media, and refugee experiences in Australia. Key works include the co-authored book 'Journalism for Social Change in Asia: Reporting Human Rights' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017); 'An analysis of IS media frames in Dabiq magazine' (International Journal of Press/Politics, 2021, cited 15 times); 'Islamic State's quest for legitimacy: An analysis of IS media frames in Dabiq magazine' (2019); 'Lifting the Fog of War: New Communications and Human Rights Journalism in Sri Lanka' (2014); 'Refugee migration: Turning the lens on middle Australia' (Pacific Journalism Review, 2023); 'A photo-journalistic exploration of COVID, refugees, and Brisbane's polymorphic border' (Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 2023); and a chapter in 'The Handbook of Conflict and Peace Communication' (2025). With 28 publications and over 105 citations on ResearchGate, his research impacts journalism scholarship. Ubayasiri has participated in funded initiatives like the Australia Awards and Alumni Engagement Program Media Benchmarking Study Tour in the Philippines. He holds leadership positions including Federal Co-vice President of the MEAA Media section (2025) and teaches courses such as Global Journalism: Reporting the World.