Lawrie Zion is Professor Emeritus in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, following nearly two decades as a full-time academic at La Trobe, where he worked in a range of research, teaching, and leadership roles. His research interests span a range of topics and disciplines in journalism and Australian studies. He led the ARC-funded research project, New Beats, which investigated the aftermath of job loss for journalists whose roles were made redundant and is currently part of the interdisciplinary Parched team which is investigating the experience of drought in Victoria. His other research interests include weather and climate coverage in the media.

After graduating in History from the University of Melbourne in 1981, he completed a PhD at Monash University examining the pop music scene in Australia during the 1960s. He has over 25 years of experience in the media, including nine years at ABC radio, where he was based at Triple J, setting up the station's Hottest 100 listener poll and presenting the arts and entertainment program, Creatures of the Spotlight. He also worked as a writer, researcher and interviewer for ABC TV documentary series 'Long Way To The Top' and 'Love Is In The Air'.

From 2004 to 2006 he was the film writer for The Australian, prior to which he wrote for a range of publications including The Age, the US-based trade paper, The Hollywood Reporter, and Rolling Stone Australia. He was also a regular guest on the Ten Network's 'The Panel.'

He is the writer and researcher of the one-hour documentary 'The Sounds of Aus' that told the story of the Australian accent. In 2008 it was awarded Chicago's Hugo prize for best international documentary. HIs 2017 book, The Weather Obsession (MUP) examined how digital media has changed the way we connect to the weather. He is also the co-editor of Ethics for Digital Journalists: Emerging Best Practices (Routledge: 2015) and Journalists and Job Loss (Routledge: 2021).