[Commlist] CFP - News and its audiences in the era of the new media: perceptions and dynamics on online consumption

Call for papers for /Comunicação Pública/ No. 28 (June 2020)

Special Dossier: News and its audiences in the era of the new 
media:perceptions and dynamics on online consumption

Editors: Patrícia Silveira (IADE – Universidade Europeia, FCH – 
Universidade Católica, CECS – Universidade do Minho) and Inês Amaral (FL 
– Universidade de Coimbra, CECS – Universidade do Minho)

_Languages_: Portuguese; English; Spanish

_DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION_: 10 February 2020

Issues inherent to the dynamics of production, distributionand 
consumption of news content have in recent years been the subject of 
numerous academic studies. It is, however, of significant import that we 
should have, today, more scientific production in those fields of 
research that specialise in examining and understanding the new 
digital-born media and information scenes. These scenes 
co-existalongside analogical outlets, with clear implications both for 
the typical operating mode of media and newspaper organisations and the 
ways we access information and for the uses and perceptions that inform 
the concept of ‘news’. It is within this context that the proposal for 
our Special Dossier is set.

In the current communication ecosystem, the media have been generalising 
the assumption of informed audiences. Several issues have been examined 
in the newsmaking field whichexplores the apparent potential of the new 
media to promote a larger public debate and to foster a more informed 
political engagement, while at the same time questioning the permanence 
of the media as privileged managersof the information public sphere.

Such topics have clear implications for citizens’ everyday lives, 
particularly for the lives of younger generations (who, by definition, 
find themselves in the process of learning, acquiring knowledge and 
interpreting the world) who are increasingly choosing digital platforms 
as their preferred means of access to news content. The everyday life of 
the younger generations is nowadays inextricably linked with these tools 
that shape what these individuals are, how they act, how they socialise 
and how they get to know the immediate and the mediated world (Silveira 
& Amaral, 2018).

It is thus in the context of the mentioned issues that we would like to 
propose a few lines of inquiry and debate, focusing the approach on 
furthering the current scientific understanding of the (present and 
future) dynamics of media and news reception, with an emphasis on the 
development and acquisition of management, comprehension and critical 
thinking skills to address the media and current news. In recent years, 
research developed in this field has become salient. With this Special 
Dossier, our aim is to contribute to a more robust knowledge, drawn from 
academic studies and texts that favour a scientifically sound analysis 
on how citizens – and among these, Generation Z in particular – are 
nowadays consuming information via digital platforms. Additionally, it 
finds it pertinent to explore how such practices are impacting those 
citizens’ understanding of the world, their awareness of societies’ 
“serious” issues, and their civic participation; it would be especially 
pertinent to shed some light on how the variously sourced information 
with which they are permanently in contact(and we would here highlight 
their exposure to ‘fake news’) is ultimately shaping their worldview.

The knowledge gathered in our Special Dossier may come to work as a 
basis for the development and implementation of effective strategies in 
promoting intellectual autonomy and interpretation skills to address 
news content. In the area of media literacy, News literacy becomes all 
the more relevant in a media landscape where fake news is propagated – 
the truth being questioned and disinformation being instigated is one 
the biggest challenges journalism is now facing. The present state of 
affairs can have serious repercussions for society in general, and for 
its younger (thus likely more susceptible) members in particular.

We would, therefore, like to encourage a debate on the interaction 
dynamics that develop between audiences and current affairs/news, with 
an emphasis on the younger generation audience segment. We are 
especially interested in research that examines the younger generation’s 
perceptions of, and interactions with, news content and online 
information consumption, while also taking into account alternative 
sources of news, such as Instagram or WhatsApp. It is necessary that 
those new trends be placed in the wider contextof studies on news 
content emission and reception. With this goal in mind, we aim at 
contributing to a wider debate which, and in light of the landscape just 
outlined, we also welcome proposals which put forward and strengthen 
strategies designed to provide citizens with those skills that give them 
the ability to be more critical of their own worldview – and of the 
worldview, they receive from the media – so that they at the same time 
develop their civic and political values.

This Special Dossier aims at advancing the existing scientific knowledge 
on the consumption of news content, particularly digital-born news 
content. For this purpose, manuscripts addressing the topics below (but 
not limited to them) are welcome.

  * News content consumption practices and digital platforms
  * New generations and news literacy
  * Online media and future trends in news consumption
  * The era of ‘fake news’ and critical skills in information analysis
  * New media, engagement//and civic participation
  * ‘Alternative’ narratives and post-truth
  * Social media, algorithms and disinformation
  * Critical literacies


      KEY DATES:

1st Call for Papers:28 October 2019

*Deadline for Submissions:**10 February 2020*

Deadline for Notification of Acceptance: 30 April 2020

Deadline for submitting final version of accepted paper:15 May 2020

Publication date:30 June 2020

*Submission guidelines: *

Manuscripts should follow the preformatted template 
(https://static.escs.ipl.pt/old/pdfs/investigacao/comunicacao_publica/CPublica-ESCS-Modelo.docx) 
and be submitted by e-mail (sent to: (cpublica /at/ escs.ipl.pt) 
<mailto:(cpublica /at/ escs.ipl.pt)>). Please include ‘Dossiê temático 
03_NPENM’ in the subject of your e-mail.

Papers can be written in English, Spanish or Portuguese, always using 
Microsoft Word. They are to include an abstract of up to 900 characters, 
five keywords written in both the language of the paper and in English, 
and the author’s details (name, affiliation, position, contact 
information and field of study). The full paper, with reference list, 
annexes and citationsshould not exceed 50.000 characters (including 
spaces, endnotes, reference list, tables, images, etc.). Studies, Notes 
and Book Reviews should not exceed 10.000 characters. (For more 
information, please see 
https://www.escs.ipl.pt/investigacao/revista-comunicacao-publica/normas-de-publicacao__). 


Upon acceptance of a paper for publication, the individual or collective 
author(s) will be asked to assign copyright to /Comunicação Pública/.


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