[Commlist] Call for abstracts – 5th annual conference on the Safety of Journalists – Digital Safety

Call for abstracts – Research Group MEKK’s 5th annual conference on the 
Safety of Journalists – Digital Safety

(Oslo November 6, 7 and 8th 2019)

The conference will take place in Oslo on November 6, 7 and 8th 2019 in 
connection with UNESCO’s International Day to End Impunity for Crimes 
against Journalists                                              
                    at OsloMet University and The Freedom of Speech 
Foundation (Fritt Ord) , Norway.

The conference is organized jointly with the The Fritt Ord Foundation 
and with support from The National Commission for UNESCO and the 
research group Digital Journalism.

Safety for journalists, including digital safety, is a matter of public 
concern that is wide-ranging. It is vital for those who practice 
journalism, for their families and for their sources. It  is  essential  
for  the wellbeing  of  media  institutions,  civil  society,  academia  
and  the  private sector more broadly. If we value the free flow of 
information for citizens, their governments and their international 
organisations, then the safety of journalists is central (Getachew 
Engida, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO).

Electronic  communications  of  news  media,  critical  bloggers,  and  
other  individuals  or  organizations  disseminating  information  have  
become  targets.  The danger emanates from various sources ranging from 
State-based actors to third parties. There is digital surveillance  
that  goes  beyond  international  standards  on  privacy  and  freedom  
of  expression. There is hacking of data and disruptive attacks on 
websites and computer systems. More extremely, some media actors are 
being killed for their online journalism. From 2011-2013, 37 of the 276 
killings of journalists condemned by the UNESCO Director General were 
killings of journalists whose primary platforms were Internet-based. 
Many, if not most, of the other journalists who were killed also used 
digital tools in their daily work, which may have exposed them in 
various ways. (Jennifer R. Henrichsen et.al. Building digital safety for 
journalism: a survey of selected issues. 2015).

Journalists need to know more about the dangers of digital attacks such 
as hacking and surveillance, and should take steps to protect 
themselves, their sources, and their work. Journalism researchers and 
educators need to know more about how the dangers to digital safety work 
in relation to journalists’ security and freedom of expression in general.

The 2019 annual conference on the Safety of Journalists will focus on 
digital safety but also invite papers discussing other aspects related 
to the safety of journalists. We invite paper presentations discussing 
topics such as (but not limited to) :

•            Surveillance and mass surveillance

•            Software and hardware exploits without the knowledge of the 
target

•            Phishing, fake domain, Denial of Service and 
Man-in-the-Middle attacks

•            Intimidation, harassment and forced exposure of online networks

•            Disinformation and smear campaigns

•            Confiscation of journalistic work product

•            Data storage and mining

•            Education and training

•            Legal issues and policy making

•            Culture and gender issues

•            Working conditions and media production

•            Source protection and the digital era

•            Hate speech, defamation and libel

•            Impunity

•            Journalist roles and fixers

•            NGOs and the safety of journalists

The conference will be organised as a mixture of key note speakers, 
working groups, panels and paper presentations.

Paper presentations:

If you want to participate with a paper, an abstract of maximum 500 
words and a short bio focusing on possible earlier experience with 
research/practice in the field of safety of journalists/digital safety 
should be sent to (safetyofjournalists /at/ oslomet.no) 
<mailto:(safetyofjournalists /at/ oslomet.no)>  before August 15, 2019. Please 
include your full name, institutional affiliation, and email. There is 
no registration fee and the participants are expected to cover their own 
costs for travel and accommodation.

A limited number of scholarships to cover flight and/or accommodation is 
available for Ph.D. students and researchers from low-income countries. 
Applications for scholarships should be submitted with the abstract 
together with a short CV.

The best papers will be considered for a forthcoming peer reviewed 
publication.


---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------