Nelanthi Hewa, Ph.D.

Dr. Nelanthi Hewa studies contemporary journalism labour, with a focus on sexual violence reporting and the role of digital technologies in shaping the lives of those who report and those who are reported on.

Nelanthi Hewa received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information. Her work examines (digital) journalism and labour, particularly Canadian journalism, as well as social media and digital platforms. Her doctoral thesis developed an intersectional analysis of how the working conditions of journalists in Canada shape sexual violence reporting, including how precarious work, short deadlines, and a changing media environment converge and create new pressures and new notions of risk and believability.

Hewa’s work also examines the growing parallels between the creator industry and the journalism industry, the rising popularity of newsletters, and how digital media shape users’ understandings of public and private life.