Comunicação Pública no. 35 (Special issue, December 2023)
Deadline: July 7, 2023
“To my critics, if I deserve them, I only ask not to read this book in the light of the binomial «pessimism versus optimism». It would be better if they saw it only as an attempt to understand some aspects of the crisis of journalism in contemporary society. And the crisis, as Morin acknowledges, has a «double face»: risk and hypothesis, risk of regression, hypothesis of progression” (Mesquita, 2003, p.23).
Editors: Fátima Lopes Cardoso (Escola Superior de Comunicação Social e ICNOVA-Instituto de Comunicação da Nova) and Pedro Marques Gomes (Escola Superior de Comunicação Social e ICNOVA-Instituto de Comunicação da Nova)
Languages: Portuguese; English; Spanish DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: 7 July 2023
Abstract
In the year in which the reference work by Mário Mesquita (1950-2022) completes two decades of existence, the aim of this special issue is to bring together studies that focus on the transversality of themes addressed in O Quarto Equívoco – O poder dos media na sociedade contemporânea (The Fourth Misconception - The power of the media in contemporary society) (MinervaCoimbra, 2003).
Civic journalism, the «power» of journalism or journalism as a counterpower, media representations, the journalistic character, objectivity, deontology and social responsibility of the journalist, as well as ceremonial events are some of the starting points for the call for papers of this issue, which aims to encourage the problematization and public discussion of matters to which Mário Mesquita made a fundamental contribution.
Description and Framework
When Mário Mesquita compiled in a book a set of works that he had created as a journalist, professor and scholar of the theories and practices of contemporary journalism 20 years ago, he unavoidably
left an imprint on the research made in this area. The work constituted an innovative and highly relevant contribution to understanding the complex nature of journalism and helped other peers - journalists, students of Social Sciences, in particular Communication, and academics - to analyze, as he wrote, “the multiple misconceptions that surround the so called «fourth estate»” (2003, p.19).
Divided into five parts - News, Powers, Perspectives, Deontologies and Ceremonies, O Quarto Equívoco – O poder dos media na sociedade contemporânea (MinervaCoimbra, 2003) is the result of a journey of study and reflection on the media and journalism or, as two of his masters wrote – Elihu Katz and Daniel Dayan –, results from “the rich experience he gained from his three lives as an academic, as a journalist and as a political actor” (Katz and Dayan, 2021). This work continues to inspire academics and communication professionals, proving its timeliness and importance.
More than two decades ago, Portuguese newsrooms were taking their first steps in disseminating news through electronic means investing in speed; recent private television stations were betting on live broadcasts; and journalism, largely due to the small screen, gained a kind of power of heavily ambivalent influence. On the one hand, he presented himself as an ally of truth who wanted to fight against power. On the other hand, he became the echo of republican institutions in crisis and manifested subservience in relation to figures of power and their institutions.
Journalism, which has the obligation to convey the truth of facts and ensure the distancing of any kind of powers, whether legislative, executive, or judicial, also ended up hostage to commercial dictates and profit. “The fourth power” caricatured by Orson Welles surrendered itself to the market criteria. This is just one of the many facets of journalism as “four misconception” as analyzed by Mário Mesquita: “Media power disseminates information and establishes itself as a forum for debate, which should encourage the exercise of citizenship, but, at the same time, it aggravates the crisis, insofar as it facilitates the «disintermediation» of representative institutions, accentuates personalization in the exercise of public office and, through the spectacularization of the news, contributes to the development of an attitude of civic mistrust” (2003: 17) .
20 years have passed since the 1st edition of O Quarto Equívoco. The critical issues identified by this unique figure of the study of journalism, which this issue of Comunicação Pública honors, seem to have become more acute due to years of cuts in the media justified by the economic crisis of 2008 with dramatic consequences for the practice of journalism, the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic, and now the catastrophic financial situation aggravated by the war between Russia and Ukraine. However, only knowledge and study can confirm or refute the negative view that is often announced. Mesquita wrote, in this regard: “Don't ask me to explain, in conclusion, that current journalism is in «better» health than it was ten or twenty years ago. This is likely to be the case if we isolate some newspapers and select some television and radio programs, disregarding the context” (2003, p. 255).
If, in Mário Mesquita writings, the analysis serves to diagnose problems, raise study hypotheses and, in some way, to point out ways to ensure that the media would continue to ensure pluralism in information, this special issue intends to perpetuate this critical need that results from scientific research in the area of journalism, as well as to contribute to the understanding of the paths that this noble “symbolic profession” has taken in recent times.
Objectives and approaches
Considering that the different themes and issues analyzed in the work O Quarto Equívoco continue to manifest themselves in journalism, and in the relationship it establishes with society, as well as with the various powers that should serve it, contributions are welcome on the following topics:
- Journalism as a counterpower, as a fourth power or an ally of powers - Objectivity or construction in news coverage
- Media events and celebration rituals
- The representations of journalism
- Rhetoric of the text and journalistic image
- Selection criteria in the age of instantaneity
- Information versus infotainment: the media euphoria in live television - Civic journalism: the social responsibility of the media
- Between the market, ethics, and deontology: borders of imbalance
- The teaching of journalism
KEY DATES
1st Call for Papers: 1 March 2023
Deadline for Submissions: 7 July 2023
Publication date: 15 December 2023
Submission guidelines:
Articles must be submitted online via https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/index . Authors are required to register in the system before submitting an article; if you have already registered, simply log into the system and start the 5-step submission process. Articles must be submitted using the pre-formatted template of Comunicação Pública. For more information on submission, please read Information for Authors and Guidelines for Authors.
