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CFP: Bridges of Media Education 2023

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Department of Media Studies invites you to the 13th International Conference Bridges of Media Education to be held on 26th and 27th May 2023 at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

The key theme of the conference in 2023 is: Media On/In Crisis

Three years into the global pandemic of COVID-19, more than ten months after the start of the war in Ukraine, and with the environmental risks posing more imminent threat, the crisis coverage is dominating the news. All these events prompted governments to communicate more strategically, limiting in some cases the freedom of expressions. Journalists are attempting to cope with the work in a digitally saturated environment, in which disinformation spreads at ever growing pace. In some countries, political and media polarization is further deepening and the crisis events serve as accelerators for the social divisions. News reporting about pandemic, war, climate and other crises events that would bring accurate and trustworthy accounts is ever more needed, and at the same time harder to achieve.

Globally, the economic crisis is hitting media organisations. After the short period of rising consumption and rising trust in news, the media are now faced with declining audience numbers. Media organisations are testing different sustainability models aware of decreasing purchasing power of citizens, and growing costs of production. Closing of outlets, withdrawal of correspondents, shrinking of newsrooms are becoming more frequent. High inflation, rising costs of living and small salaries are putting journalists in a precarious position, uncertain if their media will manage to survive.

News avoidance seems to be the main response from the side of audiences. Exhausted by the sheer volume of news, especially the ones related to crises, the citizens find that the news negatively affects their mood. In general, the public thinks that news is unreliable and biased, and that they don’t know how to act upon it.

Within this framework, the conference welcomes the proposals addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • Media coverage of COVID-19 pandemic
  • News about the war in Ukraine
  • Creation of crisis the news
  • Disinformation in the times of crises
  • Sustainability of media organizations
  • Precarious position of journalists
  • Trust in news
  • News avoidance

Working language of the conference is English.

Abstract submission: Abstracts of 300 words (max) with key words can be submitted online using this form.

Registration and participation fee:  Conference fee is 15 EUR for PhD students and 30 EUR for other participants. Please consult our website for further information on registration and payment policy.

Edited volume: Peer-reviewed papers in English and BSC will be published in the Edited Volume after the Conference. Instructions for manuscript submission are available on our website.

 Important dates

15 March 2023:            Deadline for submission of abstracts

30 March 2023:          Notification of acceptance

1 May 2023:               Registration for the conference

15 May 2023:             Payment of conference fee

15 July 2023:             Submission of full papers