June 11-12, 2020

Centre for Media & Journalism Studies, University of Groningen, Netherlands

Deadline: April 3, 2020

Confirmed speakers include: Marcel Broersma, Martin Conboy, Sophie Knowles, Victor Pickard, Helle Sjøvaag

Organizer: Chrysi Dagoula

This symposium aims to examine the effects of the market on political journalism in democratic societies in Europe, covering various national contexts with different political and financial circumstances. The measures of austerity that have been imposed either directly or indirectly on various economies in Europe and subsequently on political journalism are at the very core of what the symposium seeks to explore, as it aims to examine the effect of these policies on key areas, such as media business models, working conditions, new regulations, and perceptions of journalistic identity.

The symposium poses the question of whether the current challenges are a result of the digitization and the inclusion of a variety of platforms in the media ecology, that directly affected the economic media models across Europe, or whether these challenges reflect established market mechanisms.

Due to financial, political and technological reasons, journalism is undergoing a continuous process of redefining itself. At the same time, journalism continues to be regarded as an integral part of modern democratic societies, but also as a major historical force that contributes to important ways to so-called “epistemological politics”, according to which the politics of what we know and how we act as citizens is linked to the politics of how we know.

Drawing on this perception of journalism and by taking into account factors both external (such as political instability) and internal to the media, as well as the fact that current media environments are characterized by a multiplicity of networks and arenas where a plethora of actors constantly act, react and interact, the symposium will focus on:

• What definitions of market logic(s) are currently being used and developed?
• How can the manifestations of market logic(s) be understood through specific neoliberal policies, austerity measures, and memoranda regulations?
• In what stages or areas of journalistic processes does market logic(s) have the most significant effect?
• What are the opportunities and challenges for political journalism presently?
• To what extent does market logic(s) allow journalists to perform their democratic role, and what is the overall effect of market logic(s) on the relationship between journalism and democracy?

Confirmed speakers include:

• Marcel Broersma, Professor of Media and Journalism Studies, University of Groningen
• Martin Conboy, Professor of Journalism History, The University of Sheffield
• Sophie Knowles, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Middlesex University
• Victor Pickard, Associate Professor of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
• Helle Sjøvaag, Professor, Media and Social Sciences, University of Stavanger

The symposium welcomes theoretical discussions as well as methodological contributions that enhance the understanding of the effect of financial policies on political journalism, as well as the variations of this effect in a cross-national setting. For informal inquiries or for further information, please contact the organiser, Dr. Chrysi Dagoula at c.dagoula@rug.nl

Send your abstracts (300 words max) at c.dagoula@rug.nl (Chrysi Dagoula)

Deadline: Friday, 3rd April 2020

Notification of acceptance: Friday, 10th April 2020