[ecrea] Current Affairs Conference

Current Affairs Television: Then and Now



Conference announcement and call for papers



Date: Monday 21 Jan 2013.          Venue: School of the Arts, University 
of Liverpool



Current affairs television, and particularly the long-running weekly 
current affairs series, has long been an important staple of British 
television.  At present, Panorama (BBC), Dispatches (C4) and Tonight 
(ITV) continue a tradition of journalistic investigation and enquiry 
that has lasted for more than fifty years and which makes an important 
contribution to social and political understanding in Britain.  Despite 
the publication in the mid-2000s of histories of the most renowned 
series, there has been little recent academic attention to this 
important strand of television which is of interest to scholars of 
journalism, documentary and television alike.



Involving both academics and journalists/ programme-makers, this 
conference is intended to refocus attention on current affairs 
television and to test its current state of health, both in comparison 
to its record of past achievements and in the light of recent rapid 
changes in the role and consumption of television.  Key questions are 
likely to include:

·         How effectively has the long-running current affairs series 
adapted to the requirements of British television in the 21st century?

·         In what ways have the purposes, presentational forms, subject 
agendas and social/ political relevance of long-running current affairs 
series changed in comparison to those of their predecessors in the 
1960s/ 70s/ 80s?

·         To what extent have the fears expressed in the late 1990s 
about the ‘dumbing down’ and eventual demise of the serious television 
current affairs series on British television been born out?

Call for papers

We are seeking papers addressing aspects of these questions, or related 
themes concerning the long-running current affairs series, for 
presentation at the conference.  Please send abstracts (150-200 words 
maximum) to the email address below by Friday 2 November 2012.  When 
presented, papers should last no more than 20 minutes.



Further information about the Current Affairs Television: Then and Now 
conference will be circulated in due course.  To submit abstracts or to 
register to receive further information, please email 
(current-affairs /at/ liverpool.ac.uk).



Peter Goddard

Department of Communication and Media, University of Liverpool, 19 
Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7ZG, UK



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