Alison McAdam is a Lecturer in Communication at Deakin University, where she has taught Journalism students for the past 10 years. She has also been working in the media industry, mostly in regional newsrooms, since 2000 and is currently a subeditor at the Geelong Advertiser. As a PhD candidate, she is combining her interest in and passion for local journalism in a research project that focuses on regional newsrooms that are bucking the trend by increasing the number of people who are reading their print products.