[Commlist] MeCCSA LCM Section panel for 2027 Journalism Studies Section Conference

The CFP for this conference has been extended so Dave Harte is also 
extending the call for contributions to their planned panel.

See details below and conference page 
<https://departments.unwe.bg/media/bg/pages/77524/ecrea-journalism-studies-conference-2027.html>.

If you would like to contribute then please send a 150 word abstract 
back to (dave.harte /at/ bcu.ac.uk) by *midday 28 September. *




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With apologies for the tight turnaround time, the MeCCSA Local and 
Community Network invites paper proposals for a panel submission to the 
ECREA Journalism Studies Section 2027 Conference 
<https://ecrea.eu/page-18206/13638798>. The conference,/ Sustainable 
Development Through Quality Journalism and Media Literacy/, will take 
place on 22–23 April 2027 at the University of National and World 
Economy in Sofia, Bulgaria.

We are looking for 3-4 papers for a panel on the topic: *Local Media, 
Trust and Public Knowledge.*
*
*
Please submit a 150-word abstract that addresses the proposed panel 
theme to *(dave.harte /at/ bcu.ac.uk)* <mailto:(dave.harte /at/ bcu.ac.uk)>* by midday 
16th September 28 September. *

*Call for panel papers: Local Media, Trust and Public Knowledge*
Local and community media work through relationships with the people and 
places they serve. These relationships can give them a distinctive role 
in explaining how wider issues affect everyday life. But proximity does 
not necessarily produce trust. It matters whose experiences local media 
represent, which sources they treat as credible and how communities 
assess their journalism. This question of trust becomes particularly 
important when local media interpret global challenges within particular 
communities. Climate change, migration and economic insecurity may be 
experienced locally, but understanding them requires engagement with 
knowledge produced elsewhere. Local media can mediate between these 
scales, making complex issues relevant without reducing them to narrowly 
local concerns. Their reporting may therefore shape not only what 
communities know, but how they assess competing claims.

This work takes place amid economic precarity and growing dependence on 
platforms. Limited resources can restrict the range and depth of local 
reporting, while platform distribution affects which stories reach 
audiences. Alternative funding and civic partnerships may sustain 
public-interest journalism, but can also raise questions about editorial 
independence and credibility. This panel invites case studies and 
emerging theoretical perspectives on the work of trust in local and 
community media. How do local media establish credibility when reporting 
global challenges? Whose knowledge is recognised, and who remains 
excluded? How are relationships with communities affected by changing 
forms of funding, ownership or participation? We welcome papers that 
develop, test or challenge existing understandings of local media and 
trust across different geographical and cultural contexts.

/References:/
Gulyas, A. and Hess, K. (2024) ‘The three “Cs” of digital local 
journalism: community, commitment and continuity’, /Digital Journalism/, 
12(1), pp. 6–12.
Matthews, R. (2025) ‘Assessing the contribution of local journalism: the 
local newspaper as accidental social infrastructure’, /Journal of the 
British Academy/, 13(1), a14.
Waschková Císařová, L. (2024) ‘“We were innovators, but we gave up”: the 
muted digital transition of local newspapers’, /Digital Journalism/, 
12(1), pp. 83–100.

Further details about the conference are available in the full call 
<https://ecrea.eu/page-18206/13638798>. The main conference deadline is 
Friday, 18 September 2026 30 September 2026. We will aim to assess 
yoursubmissions swiftly so we can then meet this deadline. Note that the 
conference will be held in person only.

Just to restate: if you are interested in being part of the panel 
submission lease submit a 150-word abstract that addresses the proposed 
panel theme to (dave.harte /at/ bcu.ac.uk) by *midday 28 September.*

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