ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

MLK Conference Room 527, located in Riverside Church, 91 Claremont Avenue (between Broadway and Riverside Drive) Columbia University, New York, USA

May 1, 2023 - 10:00-13:00 EST (Hybrid event)

Deadline: March 27, 2023

Organisers: Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, University of Liverpool, University of Sheffield and Worlds of Journalism Study

As part of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2023, an academic conference will take place at Columbia University in New York on 1 May 2023 as a hybrid event. The academic conference focuses on freedom of expression as a driver for other human rights, linking to UNESCO’s overall theme for World Press Freedom Day 2023. Academia has played an important role in World Press Freedom Day by hosting an academic conference that provides a forum to hear from scholars who research constraints on media freedom in all their complexity. As this is the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, the first part of this year’s academic conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate academia’s contributions to better understanding the challenges of journalism safety and media freedom, as well as looking ahead at how it can contribute to these pressing issues in a future where freedom of expression is being threatened around the world. This interactive workshop will provide an opportunity for scholars to come together to discuss how we can continue to build stronger interdisciplinary academic capacity and greater collaboration between academia and civil society. An action statement will be produced on the next steps academia can take.

The second half of the conference will be a panel session. We invite contributions that discuss current challenges to freedom of expression as a driver for other human rights. The academic consultations on the 10th anniversary of the UN Plan on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity identified six areas posing significant challenges to freedom of expression: digital safety; gender-specific safety issues; workplace safety issues; improving monitoring; understanding impunity; and the weaponisation of the law. Papers addressing any of these areas while highlighting the link with protection or curtailment of freedom of expression are welcome.  

Submission requirements:

Abstracts of 250 words and an author bio of 100 words should be submitted by 27 March 2023 via the following link - https://liverpoolcommsmedia.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5mRz1iojzBgDKFU

detailing the research area being considered and its links to freedom of expression. The event will be hybrid with the option to attend either in person or online. There will also be a chance for abstracts to be published on both the Journalism Safety Research Network’s (JSRN) website and University of Liverpool’s DigiPol: Centre for Digital Politics, Media and Democracy website. Academics who would like to attend without presenting at the event in person or online, can also register their interest via the link.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Dr Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova (vpetkova@liverpool.ac.uk) or Dr Gemma Horton (gemma.horton@sheffield.ac.uk).

We look forward to seeing you at the academic conference as part of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day! 

Best wishes 

The Organising Committee 

Professor Jackie Harrison, UNESCO Chair on Media Freedom, Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity

Dr Vera-Slavtcheva Petkova, Reader in Global Journalism and Media, University of Liverpool, UK / Worlds of Journalism Study Executive Committee Member

Catalina Botero, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression

Dr Gemma Horton, Impact Fellow, Centre for Freedom of the Media

Dr Emily Harmer, Senior Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Liverpool, UK

Dr Rosalynd Southern, Senior Lecturer in Political Communication, University of Liverpool, UK

Dr Christos Kostopoulos, Research Associate, University of Liverpool, UK

September 28-29, 2023

The University of Sydney 

Deadline: April 16, 2023

Policy innovation for inclusive internet governance 

https://internet-policy-meco.sydney.edu.au/

The task of internet policy making has changed markedly over the past two decades. The ‘move fast, break things’ era—during which a central policy concern was how to manage economic disruption across industry sectors from entertainment to journalism, retail, transport and hospitality—has evolved into a digital era characterised by complex and interconnected social, political and economic global challenges. Today, internet policy must confront issues relating to embedded interests, monopoly power, geopolitics, colonisation, warfare, automation, the environment, misinformation, safety, security and more. As DeNardis (2014) has argued, conflicts within internet governance involve critical negotiations over economic and political power and how these conflicts are resolved “will determine some of the most important public interest issues of our time”. 

In seeking to resolve these conflicts, there is a risk that the dominant economic and geopolitical actors will structure outcomes in their interest. An inclusive approach to internet governance is needed if we are to achieve an equitable distribution of digital resources and opportunities. Inclusive internet governance requires that the voices, interests and values of the maginalised are included in policy making processes, so that dominant ideologies can be challenged and alternative imaginaries realised (Gurumurthy & Chami, 2016). 

Novelty and innovation in internet policy is itself challenging. Typically, policy making is driven by past experiences (Schot and Steinmueller, 2018) and constrained by institutional formalities, hierarchies and procedures (Bauer, 2014). Innovation, on the other hand, requires space for exploration and experimentation with opportunities “only partially known” (Bauer & Bohlin, 2022). How does policy innovation occur? 

This conference seeks to bring together a range of international voices to demonstrate how varying approaches towards internet policy are established, embodied and engaged with by a variety of stakeholders. It also aims to bring together scholars and policymakers to discuss current practices, alternative designs and the ‘unknowns’ that are required for inclusive internet governance. The conference will invite scholars, civic interest groups, platform providers and regulatory bodies to discuss the tensions of internet policy and will consider a future research agenda for the field. 

This two day conference is inviting papers that address, but are not necessarily limited to, the following topics:

• What is policy innovation in this moment? What are its ecosystems? Are they fit for purpose? How can they be reimagined?
  
• Achieving diversity, justice and inclusion in internet governance
  
• Case studies from diverse jurisdictions that address core internet governance problems
  
• Case studies in innovative approaches to digital platform governance
  
• Policies of digital sovereignty, security and conflict 
  
• Global response to automation and artificial intelligence 
  
• Policy and governance implications of emerging tech e.g. web3, AI, extended reality, the Internet of things and 5G 
  
• Emerging cultural practices and related regulatory tensions
  
• Internet business models that challenge the status quo
  

Competition and other economic policies for a more competitive internet 

Instructions

Email a 300-500 word abstract, excluding references, to milica.stilinovic@sydney.edu.au by April 16, 2023 with subject line “P&I Conference 2023 Submission”. 

All accepted papers are required to be presented in person. 

Abstracts will be assessed according to the following criteria: 

1) quality of research and analysis 

2) originality 

3) relevance to conference theme and Policy & Internet Journal audiences.  

Notifications of acceptance will be provided by 1 May, 2023.  

A selection of presenters will also be invited to submit a full paper for a special issue of Policy & Internet. 

References:

Bauer, J. M. (2014). Platforms, systems competition, and innovation: Reassessing the foundations of communications policy. Telecommunications Policy, 38(8-9), 662-673.

Bauer, J. M., & Bohlin, E. (2022). Regulation and innovation in 5G markets. Telecommunications Policy, 46(4), 102260.

DeNardis, L. (2014). The global war for internet governance. Yale University Press.

Gurumurthy, A., & Chami, N. (2016). Internet governance as' ideology in practice'–India's' Free Basics' controversy. Internet Policy Review, 5(3), 1-17. 

Schot, J., & Steinmueller, W. E. (2018). Three frames for innovation policy: R&D, systems of innovation and transformative change. Research policy, 47(9), 1554-1567

March 22-23, 2023

University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication, USA/online

You are warmly invited to attend our free hybrid symposium, Doing Global Media Studies: Theories, Practices, Reflections. This event will take place in person and via Zoom at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication between March 22nd and 23rd. Colleagues within commuting distance from Philadelphia are welcome to attend the symposium in person. The roundtable events will be made accessible as hybrid webinars.  

They include:

• Materialities of the Global South (Ahmed Alrawi, Simran Bhalla, Daniella Gáti, Ennuri Jo, moderated by Tupur Chatterjee) 
  
• Global Media Territories (Stephen N. Borunda, Tony Cho, FengYi Yin, Tinghao Zhou, moderated by Rahul Mukherjee) 
  
• Transnational Activism and Archival Practices (Sima Kokotović, Amal Shafek, Yidong (Steven) Wang, Yilan Wang, William Lafi Youmans, moderated by Heather Jaber) 
  
• (Re)Shaping Global Markets Through Cultural Production (Bizaa Zeynab Ali, Yasemin Y. Celikkol, Madison Mellon, Jaana Serres, moderated by Celeste Wagner) 
  
• Exporting Global Nationalisms (Veronika Hermann, Seung-Hoon Jeong, Nisarg P., Nansong Zhou, moderated by Chenshu Zhou)
  

For the full program including abstracts and speaker bios, please see our symposium website: https://cargc-fellows-conference.mailchimpsites.com/

The CARGC Fellows' Symposium is held biennially. This year's symposium celebrates the 10 year anniversary of the Center and reflects on evolving concepts and methodologies of “the global” in the field of communication and media studies.

You can RSVP for our free hybrid symposium by following this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/doing-global-media-studies-theories-practices-reflections-tickets-549735532777

Please note that portions of this event will be recorded.

Warm wishes,

Eszter Zimanyi on behalf of CARGC Fellows’ Symposium Organizing Committee

December 1, 2023 

Prague, Czech Republic 

Deadline: May 1, 2023 

www.praguemediapoint.com 

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What’s Working: Sustainable Media System for a Viable Democracy 

It is our pleasure to announce the return of the Prague Media Point Conference, which will take place on December 1, 2023, in Prague, Czech Republic!  

Our world is facing an unprecedentedly complex set of intertwined, mutually reinforcing challenges - a polycrisis, as some define it. Many find it hard to navigate such circumstances and lose faith in the public space they inhabit. The role of journalism thus becomes even more crucial for the maintenance and quality of the liberal democratic system. Today’s media need to regain readers’ trust and contribute to building an open-minded public sphere. This also requires them to cultivate a system where journalists can operate freely and safely, content can remain independent from outside influence and output can effectively reach the target audience. 

We encourage submissions of abstracts and session proposals that focus on examples in the media that appear to be working and generating impact in the following areas, though the list is not exhaustive:​

∙Boundaries of censorship, content moderation institutions/models 

∙Online and other harms, protection of journalists and their content 

∙Lessons of the Twitter affair 

∙Credibility and transparency of media resources and ownership 

∙Preserving independence from the subscribers 

∙Effective ways of fighting disinformation 

∙Innovative engaging with the audience 

∙Good practice of technological advances 

∙Media resources across generations 

∙Social media at the forefront of news delivery 

∙Media cooperation across borders  

∙Public service and social media co-existence 

∙Media platformization 

Please submit your 500-word abstracts or proposals and a short bio by May 1, 2023 to: precek@keynote.cz  

Download our abstract or session template here: http://bit.ly/2GUiqz1  

For more information on submission, deadlines, and fees go to www.praguemediapoint.com. 

To register for the conference, please go to: https://bit.ly/3RXz4Av  

Contact: Marek Přeček, Project Coordinator, precek@keynote.cz   

MedieKultur Special Issue

Theme editors: Ib T. Gulbrandsen (Associate Professor, Roskilde University), Martina S Mahnke (Associate Professor, Roskilde University), Emma Christensen (Postdoc, Roskilde University), Julie Vulpius (Postdoc, Roskilde University), and Simon Karlin (PhD Fellow, Roskilde University)

Issue editor: Martina S Mahnke (Associate Professor, Roskilde University)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only shaping contemporary communication processes but is actively contributing to and participating in them. Customer service chatbots communicate with us, prediction and surveillance models communicate about us, and content generators communicate instead of us. AI is, in other words, influencing how communication happens, and ultimately what it means to communicate. AI is, however, not developed, adopted, and employed in isolation. Rather, how media, researchers, citizens, vendors, data scientists, etc. understand, envision, and communicate about AI is key to how AI develops, what models are constructed, and the way they take part in processes of communication (Bailey & Barley, 2020).

The entanglement of discourse and practice, of humans and AI, raises many questions and has thus become a topic of scholarly interest across a diverse set of disciplines. While much literature has sought to define AI (see e.g., Monett & Lewis, 2018 ), such definitional work tends to neglect the significance of everyday enactments of AI; how data scientists formulate assumptions that subsequently guide their code writing, how media and vendors narrate AI to influence how citizens and potential customers imagine it, or how AI shapes communication practices in organizations. Others have discussed the potential possibilities and risks of AI, including implications for work practices, trust, as well as ethics and governance (see e.g., Crawford & Calo, 2016; Newell & Marabelli, 2018; Kellogg et al., 2020; Wiesenberg & Tench, 2020; Zuboff, 2015). However, in-depth empirical explorations, methodological and theoretical explorations of the everyday impact of how AI participates in communication and how communication participates in AI are still sparse.

This special issue aims to address this gap and invites conceptual and empirical studies that examine and reflect on the role of AI in various communication processes. We especially welcome contributions that nuance and detail the interplay between humans and AI in communication practices. The special issue assembles vital insight on AI in communication and organizing processes striving for diversity in terms of nationalities and geography among the authors as well as the theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, such as – to mention but a few – communication, organizational, and cultural studies, science and technology studies, actor-network theory, phenomenology and qualitative and quantitative studies, action research, discourse analysis, comparative approaches, (digital) ethnography, and mixed method approaches.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Empirical (case) studies on the use, application, and impact of AI in communication and organizational processes
  
• Studies in AI-narratives, imaginaries, and expectations about AI and its implications for communication processes
  
• Studies on understanding and sense-making processes in relation to the use and implementation of AI in organizations
  
• Analyses of employees’, costumer’s, individual’s or group’s conceptualizations of AI inside and outside of the traditional organizational boundaries
  
• Studies of human-AI relations, for example, the ethical dimension of AI-aided decision-making, and its opportunities and challenges for AI governance
  
• Critical and cultural perspectives: conflicts, tensions and negotiations of AI in organizational settings
  
• New, playful, and creative ways in which AI and communication practices are intertwined 
  

The special issue is related to the SCAI-projekt, funded by the VELUX FOUNDATIONS: https://scai.ruc.dk/

Submission guidelines

Abstracts should contain a maximum of 500 words excluding references. It should include the research question(s) addressed, theoretical and methodological approaches as well as preliminary conclusions. Abstracts should be submitted as a Word document via our open  journal system at www.mediekultur.dk, where you will need to create a user account if you do not already have one. Please indicate in “comments for the editor” section that you are submitting to the special issue “AI and communication practices”. In case of any questions regarding the uploading process, please contact: mahnke@ruc.dk.

Timeline

Deadline for abstract submission: May 1st, 2023

Acknowledgement of acceptance for full paper submission: May 12th, 2023

Deadline for full paper: September 11th, 2023

Notification of acceptance: November 1st, 2023

Deadline for revised articles: January 10th, 2024

Expected publication: May 2024 

References

Bailey, D. E. & Barley, S. R. (2020). Beyond design and use: How scholars should study intelligent technologies. Information and Organization, 30(2) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infoandorg.2019.100286

Crawford, K., & Calo, R. (2016). There is a blind spot in AI research. Nature, 538(7625), 311-313. https://doi.org/10.1038/538311a

Kellogg, K. C., Valentine, M. A. & Christin, A. (2020). Algorithms at work: The new contested terrain of control. Academy of Management Annals, 14(1): 366-410. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2018.0174 

Monett, D, & Lewis, C. W. P. (2018). Getting clarity by defining Artificial Intelligence – A survey. In V. C. Müller (Ed.), Philosophy and theory of Artificial Intelligence 2017. Springer, pp. 212-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96448-5

Newell, S. & Marabelli, M. (2018). Datafication in action. Diffusion and consequences of algorithmic decision-making. In R. D. Galliers & M.-K. Stein (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Management Information Systems. Routledge. pp. 403-415. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315619361-30 

Poole, D. L. & Mackworth, A. K. (2017). Artificial intelligence: Foundations of computational agents, Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108164085 

Wiesenberg, M., & Tench, R. (2020). Deep strategic mediatization: Organizational leaders' knowledge and usage of social bots in an era of disinformation. International Journal of Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.102042

Zerfass, A., Hagelstein, J., & Tench, R. (2020). Artificial intelligence in communication management: a cross-national study on adoption and knowledge, impact, challenges and risks. Journal of Communication Management, 24(4), 377-389. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-10-2019-0137

Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: Surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization. Journal of Information Technology, 30(1): 75-89. https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2015.5

University of Zurich

IKMZ – the Dept of Communications and Media Research at the University of Zurich – has just advertised a professorship for empirical communication/media research. We are looking for internationally renowned scholars who conduct excellent research on the use and effects of mediated communication and have a proven track record in the methods and methodology of communication/media research. Applications are due by May 1, 2023.

You will find more info under https://jobs.uzh.ch/offene-stellen/professorship-in-empirical-communication-and-media-research/376109cc-2d1e-4de6-ade3-729d66f8116a

Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS)

The Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) funds innovative projects that deal with the social opportunities and challenges of the digital transformation. We support individual researchers and groups.

You want to spend a sabbatical in a vibrant interdisciplinary research community? Become a fellow at CAIS!

A fellowship at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) releases you from your regular work obligations and opens up new perspectives.  

As a fellow, you can spend either six or three months in Bochum, Germany. During this period, we will finance your sabbatical leave from work through compensation (e.g. for a substitute). Alternatively, we will pay grants of up to 2.000 € per month. You can invite guests for collaboration and will receive financial support for research expenses. Individual offices and meeting rooms with modern facilities offer optimal working conditions. In addition, we will provide comfortable apartments free of charge.

Find out more at https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/fellowships/ 

You want to boost your collaboration? Bring your group together at CAIS!

Working groups bring together experts from different locations to work on joint projects in an inspiring environment.

We provide modern meeting facilities for working groups of up to twelve members. In addition, we will cover travel and accommodation expenses. You can spend up to three weeks in Bochum or get together for several shorter meetings.  

Find out more at https://www.cais-research.de/en/cais-college/working-groups/

Application

The next deadline for applications is 30 April 2023. The earliest possible starting date for new fellowships is April 2024. The earliest possible starting date for new working groups is January 2024. You can also combine both programs. Please use the application forms provided on our website.

The funding program is open to excellent scholars and practitioners, to all career stages, disciplines and areas of investigation, as well as to pure research and to projects that are more applied in orientation.

Further questions? Please contact esther.laufer@cais-research.de.

October 19-20, 2023

Madrid, Spain/online

Deadline: May 31, 2023

Objective: The congress seeks to provide a space for reflection and synergy around the study of hate speech from the digital news media and social networks at the Ibero-American and international levels.

Dates: It will be held on October 19 and 20, 2023, in person (in the Faculty of Information Sciences of the U. Complutense of Madrid and at the International University of La Rioja - UNIR's headquarters in Madrid) and online. Reception of proposals until May 31, 2023. Submissions will be accepted in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Organization: It is organized by the Project Cartography of hate speech in Spain from communication: sports, bullfighting and political spheres (PID2019-105613GB-C31 – CARTODIOCOM), and the Project Taxonomy, presence and intensity of hate speech in environments digital media linked to the Spanish professional news media (PID2020-114584GB-I00 – HATEMEDIA). Both projects are led by the Complutense University of Madrid and the International University of La Rioja, financed by the State Research Agency - Ministry of Science and Innovation (Government of Spain).

Web for more information at: https://ciomd.es/

25 May, 2023

Toronto, Canada

It is our great pleasure to share with you an ICA pre-conference dedicated to the consideration and discussion of Elihu Katz’s ideas.

Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, registration for this pre-conference is free. To register for the pre-conference, please navigate to the registration page. 

Questions about the pre-conference should be directed to any one of the pre-conference organizers listed below.

Organized by: Menahem Blondheim (Hebrew University), David W. Park (Lake Forest College), Jeff Pooley (Muhlenberg College), and Julia Sonnevend (The New School)

Arrival, Coffee

8:30 am - 8:45 am

Opening Remarks from Pre-Conference Sponsors

8:45 am - 8:50 am

Orienting Katz Historically

8:50 am - 9:20 am

Moderator: Jeff Pooley

Peter Simonson, “Communication, Opportunity Structures, and the Making of Elihu Katz, 1926–1956: The Child is Father of the Man”

Coffee Break

9:20 am - 9:35 am

Katz on Journalism, Democracy, and the Media

9:35 am - 10:50 am

Moderator: Barbie Zelizer

Klaus Bruhn Jensen & W. Russell Neuman, “Enriching the Concept of Communication Effects: The Legacy of Elihu Katz”

Leah A. Lievrouw, “Katz, Tarde, and Theorizing Digital Communication”

Michael McDevitt, “Is the U.S. Press Invested in Democratic Crisis?”

Kimberly Meltzer, “Legacies of Elihu Katz: Contributions to Theorizing on Journalism and Television”

Patrícia Dias & Priscila Krolow, “Youth on BeReal: Emergent Uses and Sought Gratifications”

Coffee Break

10:50 am - 11:00 am

The Continuing Relevance of Media Events

11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Moderator: Julia Sonnevend

Esther Hammelburg, “Being There Live: Witnessing & Belonging at Contemporary Media(tized) Events”

Johanna Sumiala & Katja Valaskivi, “Hybrid Media Environment: A Key Challenge to Contemporary Media Event Theory?”

Charlotte Knorr & Christian Pentzold, “The Craft of Data Scandals: Reassessing Contemporary Whistleblowing as Media Events”

Sachie Hamada, “Media Events in the Internet Age: From ‘Watching on Couch’ to ‘Doing Sports Together’”

Rainier Winter & Jörg-Uwe Nieland, “Rethinking ‘Media Events’: Sports Mega-Events, Authoritarian States, and the Battle for Meaning”

Lunch

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Two-Step Flow

1:30 pm - 3:00 pm

Moderator: Larry Gross

Devon Powers, “From Fads to Trends: Lessons From Katz”

Laura Dilley, “The Memetics of QAnon as Dynamical System: A Historical and Forensic Analysis of Katz-Inspired Diffusion of pro-QAnon Sentiment Among Social media Micro-Influencers”

Svetlana S. Bodrunova, Kamilla Nigmatullina, Nikolay Rodossky, and Dmitry Nepiyushchikh, “The Two-Step Flow Model in a Hybrid Environment: Decentralization of Media in Discussions on User Complaints in the VK.com Social Network”

Hynek Jerabek, “Elihu Katz’s Journey From the ‘Two-Step Flow Report’ to ‘His Master’s Voice’: 65 Years of Opinion Leaders”

Elizabeth Dubois, “Strategic Personal Influence: From Political Opinion Leaders to Social Media Influencers”

Coffee Break

3:00 pm - 3:15 pm

The Multidimensional Katz: A Cross-Cutting Conversation

3:15 pm - 4:30 pm

Moderator: Menahem Blondheim

Sonia Livingstone

Jeffrey C. Alexander

Limor Shifman

Michael Schudson

Closing Words

4:30 pm - 4:45 pm

Pre-recorded video contributions pending

The Pre-Conference is Sponsored by:

The Department of Communication and the Smart Family Institute of Communications at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California; and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania

August 31 - September 1, 2023

Berlin, Germany

Deadline: March 31, 2023

The 2023 ECREA Political Communication Section Conference is taking place 31 Aug - 01 Sep in Berlin, Germany. The event is hosted by the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society and the Institute for Media and Communication Studies at the Freie Universität Berlin. The deadline for abstract submissions (400 words) is 31 March 2023.

More information about the conference and submissions can be found at https://ecreapolcomm2023.ecreapoliticalcommunication.com/