[Commlist] CfP Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication - Media and Courage

*6^th Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication | **MEDIA AND 
COURAGE | **6-9 January 2026*

The Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication takes a 
comparative and global approach to the study of media and courage. 
Jointly organized by the Faculty of Human Sciences (Universidade 
Católica Portuguesa) and the Center for Media@Risk (Annenberg School 
for Communication, University of Pennsylvania), the Lisbon Winter School 
offers an opportunity for doctoral students and early career 
post-doctoral researchers to strategize around the study of media and 
courage together with senior scholars in the field. It is held in 
coordination with the Annenberg Schools of the University of Southern 
California & University of Pennsylvania, the Chinese University of Hong 
Kong’s School of Journalism and Communication, the University of 
Helsinki’s Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities, and The Europaeum.

*Call for Applications*

As uncertainty and disruption settle in as central features of 
contemporary democracies, the media are faced with rewriting the rules 
by which they are allowed to operate. New limitations are constraining 
how the media portray a wide range of topics, from wars and 
international alliances to human rights and knowledge formation, from 
immigration and social marginalization to the economic and cultural 
policies implemented by those in power. While in the past, dire threats 
to the media were mostly associated with authoritarian regimes, the 
autocratic turn taking place in liberal democracies has forced those 
involved with media environments to deal with intimidation and 
punishments once considered taboo in democracies. With the distinction 
between liberal and illiberal media systems rendered more or less 
irrelevant by today’s realities, engaging with the media everywhere now 
requires a kind of strength not typically seen in democratic settings: 
courage.

Courage calls for beliefs, values and actions that have not tended to 
need articulation for those living under democracy, largely because 
their viability was normalized long ago as part of its default setting. 
And yet, the capacity today to sustain one’s beliefs, commit to one’s 
values and act boldly in the face of adversity have become a golden rule 
for surviving democratic backsliding. Drawing on confidence, 
persistence, initiative and adaptability, courage can be physical, 
emotional, moral, social, spiritual and/or intellectual. With 
institutions central to democracy no longer able to accomplish their 
mission by following the rules that once governed their actions, courage 
is needed to persevere in the face of danger, intimidation and 
uncertainty. Because it involves a choice to confront risks that might 
otherwise seem unsurmountable, courage is crucial for developing ways of 
thinking and acting that are better attuned to the cobbled state of 
today’s institutions.

Perhaps nowhere is this as much the case as with the media. It takes 
extraordinary strength for media practitioners, activists and scholars 
to sustain their previously normalized roles and avoid falling into the 
traps set by those in power. Being courageous means not accepting what 
George Orwell defined as the “truth of the leader,” and it comes at a 
high price, where daring to question official narratives is no longer 
assured. Not only is the survival of media corporations being put on the 
line, but all those involved with the media face a myriad of risks and 
dangers. These circumstances call upon media practitioners, activists 
and scholars to imagine alternative tools to express dissent.

In these challenging and dangerous times, the *Lisbon Winter School for 
the Study of Communication *proposes to discuss the interconnections 
between *Media and Courage*. Courage can be addressed from a wide range 
of perspectives, understood as an ontological but also as an ethical 
concept in which one “affirms his own being” (Tillich, 1952: 3).

While the consequences of challenging those in power may be better-known 
for those living in dictatorial states, in contemporary times expressing 
disagreement and dissent also demands courage from many living in 
democratic settings. So, what lessons are there to be learned from media 
courage and resistance in non-liberal countries? Which strategies have 
been used by scholars, filmmakers, photographers, journalists and social 
activists to denounce malpractices in autocratic regimes? How can such 
strategies be adopted in countries whose democratic institutions are 
being challenged? How can the media but also individuals use different 
platforms to denounce wrongdoings and expand the perspectives being 
debated in the public arena? How can the media avoid falling into the 
trap of being used as tools at the service of those who aim to promote 
fear and hate? How is dissidence being silenced through online and 
offline shaming, book bans, financial and physical threats? And how can 
communities support those who show courage to report on issues that 
challenge the official narratives? We welcome proposals by doctoral 
students and early career post-doctoral researchers from all over the 
world to discuss the intertwined relations between media and courage in 
different geographies and temporalities. The list below illustrates some 
of topics for possible consideration. Other topics dealing with media 
and courage are also welcomed:

-Courage in news reporting

-Witnessing war and tragedy

-Courage on social media

-Media activism

-Denouncing hate speech and aggression against gender, racial and 
religious minorities

-Alternative and underground media

-Threats and intimidation

-Opposing anxiety and irrationality

-Courage and Resistance

-Countering disinformation and misinformation

-Courage, populism and the media

-(Self-)censorship

-Courage and identity formation

-Algorithms, AI and social trust

-Expressing courage in the public arena in specific national or regional 
contexts

-…

*PAPER PROPOSALS*

Proposals should be sent to *(lisbonwinterschool /at/ ucp.pt)* 
<mailto:(lisbonwinterschool /at/ ucp.pt)>**no later than 5 September 2025 and 
include a paper title, extended abstract in English (700 words), name, 
e-mail address, institutional affiliation and a brief bio (max. 100 
words) mentioning ongoing research. Applicants will be informed of the 
result of their submissions by late September. **

**

*FULL PAPER SUBMISSION *

Presenters will be required to submit full papers (max. 20 pages, 1.5 
spacing) by 10 December 2025.

**

*ORGANIZERS*

Nelson Ribeiro

Barbie Zelizer

**

*CONVENORS*

Sarah Banet-Weiser

Risto Kunelius

Francis Lee

**

*For more information visit lisbonwinterschool.com 
<http://lisbonwinterschool.com/>***

**

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