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Media & Communication: The State of the Art Conference (Leicester, UK)

The central aim of this conference is to explore the extent to which existing theories of media and communication are adequate for the analysis of our contemporary media landscape.

The conference is underpinned by a concern with what we see in the classroom; changes in technology and society; and the role of theory. Centrally, we ask do new technologies require new theories? And if so, where are new theoretical interventions required? We are keen to reflect on the problematization of an increasingly automated environment, where algorithms collect data about us, and make choices about what we consume. What does this automation mean for notions of autonomy and agency; or for the structuring of identity? Do these technologies challenge or embed existing power structures, particularly in areas around gender, race and class? A further aim of this conference is also to reflect on where media studies is, and where it is going: how does media studies remain ‘relevant’ and ‘state of the art’ in light of a rapidly changing media landscape?

The driving questions of this conference are:

1. Do we need new theories of media to address social and technological change?

2. What are the key pedagogical issues in teaching contemporary students of media and communications?

Conference fee: £50. The conference fee is only charged to cover the cost of lunch, teas and coffees, conference dinner and to provide taxis home for any woman who would like one after the evening event.

Postgraduate Students: Free

Click here for full details

Beyond Visual Stereotypes: A Symposium on Media and the Middle East (Norwich, UK)

This symposium on media representations and the Middle East will be filled with talks, workshops, and panel discussions and will end with a screening of Asghar Farhadi’s About Elly (2009). Moving beyond visual stereotypes, organisers invite attendees to join them in thinking about and challenging media representations.

A more detailed programme will follow but registration is now open.

Click here to register.

Collective Communication and Community Engagement in humanitarian action: How to guide for leaders and responders (CDAC Network, 2019)

This guide describes the framework, minimum actions and services for communication and community engagement, and the vision for a collective approach. It provides practical guidance on implementing the minimum actions and services, setting up national, multi-stakeholder platforms and providing leadership, championing and advocacy for change in this area.

The guide is intended primarily for practitioners and leaders working in national and international humanitarian and media development organisations as well as other entities involved in preparedness, response and recovery. Experience in the humanitarian sector and prior knowledge of relevant policies, plans and processes is assumed, as is familiarity with the humanitarian architecture, the humanitarian programme cycle and accountability to affected populations. The content is illustrated by numerous case studies, in order to contextualise some of the practices outlined.

Click here for more information and to download a copy of the guide.

Challenging Anti-Muslim Hate and Islamophobic Stereotypes in the Media and Online (London, UK)

Tell MAMA’s groundbreaking research is shaping government policy, including the Hate Crime Action Plan. In 2017, Tell MAMA recorded its biggest ever rise in reports with 1,201 verified cases, which included 839 reports having occurred offline or on a street-level. A key recommendation in this report called on politicians and media outlets to consider how their choice of language can influence wider public discourse.

Therefore, Tell Mama are holding this event to explore how anti-Muslim and Islamophobic stereotypes filter through sections of the mainstream media and on social media platforms, on issues such as terrorism, religious expression, and immigration, and how they can legitimise racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic prejudice.

This event will involve panel discussions which asks journalists, researchers, and activists about the portrayal of Islam and Muslims, and how negative stereotypes in certain sections of the press and social media platforms could contribute to the normalisation of anti-Muslim and Islamophobic attitudes.

Community members will share their experiences of impacts of increasing anti-Muslim hate crime and Islamophobia fuelled by certain sections of media and social media websites.

Fighting Misinformation: the launch of the LSE Truth, Trust and Technology Commission report (London, UK)

The LSE Truth, Trust and Technology Commission has been working with experts, practitioners and the public to identify structural causes of media misinformation and set out a new framework for strategic policy. This event will launch the Commission’s report, at which the report’s key recommendations will be presented to the public.

Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEt3

This event forms part of the “New World (Dis)Orders” series, held in the run up to the LSE Festival, a week-long series of events taking place from 25 February to 2 March 2019, free to attend and open to all, exploring how social science can tackle global issues. How did we get here? What are the challenges? And, importantly, how can we address them? Full programme available online from January 2019.

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Communication for Development Network
Registered address:
Finsbury House, New Street,
Chipping Norton, Oxon, OX7 5LL, UK
E-mail [email protected]
Non-profit Company Number: 7734410