[Commlist] Cfp: Future of Journalism

*Future of Journalism, Cardiff University, UK, September 2021 *

*Future of Journalism: “**Overcoming obstacles in journalism” *

The School of Journalism, Media and Culture (JOMEC) at Cardiff 
University will host the eighth biennial Future of Journalism conference 
on 23rd-24th September 2021.

At present the conference will be virtual, in light of COVID-19 and 
social distancing. However, should conditions change, and time 
permitting, we envisage a blended conference, which will partly take 
place in JOMEC's state-of-the-art home in Cardiff's city centre. The 
theme for 2021 will be “Overcoming obstacles in journalism.”

*Overcoming obstacles in journalism *

2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges and obstacles for 
journalism as an institution, and journalists as professionals. At the 
same time, journalism has never been more important. With audiences 
around the world urgently requiring reliable information on the 
coronavirus pandemic and major breaking news events, journalists have 
carried out their work under difficult and often dangerous circumstances.

In doing so, their storytelling has shed light on, and made tangible, 
the realities on the ground which would otherwise be inaccessible. 
Audiences, in turn, have altered their news-seeking behaviour and 
engagement with traditional and alternative media. Against this 
backdrop, news organisations around the world have had to operate with 
unprecedented agility and flexibility, changing their routines and 
practices to overcome the many obstacles thrown in their path. The 
Future of Journalism conference 2021 invites contributions that engage 
with the theme of “overcoming obstacles,” examining areas including, but 
not limited to:

*Transformations in journalistic practices *

  * How have news organisations around the world covered the pandemic?
    What have been the major logistical and ethical challenges in doing so?
  * How have news organisations managed the coverage of major events
    beyond the pandemic (e.g. the Black Lives Matter movement and
    critical race theory, and the US presidential elections)?
  * How have news organizations responded to unprecedented attacks on
    journalists as professionals and journalism as an institution?
  * How have journalists changed their working routines and practices
    given the challenges of covering the news in a pandemic?
  * How has journalism fared in holding governments to account?
  * How have the experiences of journalists varied across national
    contexts and types of journalism?
  * How has journalism responded to embrace greater diversity and
    inclusion?
  * How has journalism’s role changed?
*Enhancing storytelling *

  * What new storytelling formats, techniques and platforms have
    journalists developed to cover the pandemic?
  *
  * What has been the role of emerging practices (e.g. data journalism,
    fact-checking artificial intelligence, constructive journalism) in
    shaping storytelling?
  * Which theoretical approaches can help us understand changes in
    storytelling techniques?
*Engaging and supporting audiences *

  * How has audience engagement with the news changed?
  * How have news organisations responded to the “infodemic” of
    misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories? What role
    have social media played in this context?
  * How have audience members changed their news-seeking behaviour?
  * What have we learned about news avoidance?
*Building resilience for the future *

  * What has been the emotional impact of covering news in crisis, and
    how can news organisations ensure support for the mental health of
    journalists in the future?
  * How have news organisations maintained their commitment to
    longer-standing projects (e.g. investigations and experimentation)
    in the face of the pandemic?
  * How have business models in journalism coped with the pandemic?
  * What are the most promising avenues for financial sustainability in
    the future?
  * What research agendas and theoretical approaches are most helpful to
    understand the future of journalism?
  * How can practising journalists and academics strengthen their ties
    and work to better inform audiences?
We are delighted that a selection of papers presented at the conference 
will be published in special issues of international peer-reviewed 
journals, such as:/Journalism Practice/ and /Journalism Studies/. More 
news will follow.

The conference will take place on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th 
September 2021.  Further information on registration fees and keynote 
speakers will be available in due course.

T*he deadline for submitting abstracts (500-750 words maximum) for 
papers is**Thursday Feb 18^th  2021.*Please submit your abstract via the 
conference email address: (FoJ2021 /at/ cardiff.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(FoJ2021 /at/ cardiff.ac.uk)>

Please do not submit more than one abstract as first author, with no 
more than two abstracts in total.Should you have any questions, please 
contact us at (FoJ2021 /at/ cardiff.ac.uk) <mailto:(FoJ2021 /at/ cardiff.ac.uk)>


---------------
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
---------------