Duration
15 Apr 2018 - 20 Apr 2018
Course Description:
Is journalism in crisis? Some in the industry & practice fear for the future of the profession in the digital media environment – cf. the podcast by Katharine Viner, editor in chief of the Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/16/a-mission-for-journalism-in-a-time-of-crisis.
The digital environment presents one of the challenges for journalism as a profession and practice, but also as an institution which had a key role for the development of modern society and liberal democracy. The loss of unique control of the production and distribution process of news, the changes in the
gatekeeping role of the media, and the new players, the social media and apps, the challenge to the attentions of the audiences from multiple other (than media) sources of content, the speed of the digital, and the shift of the audience attention to digitally delivered content, all present significant challenges. Changes in the political sphere, with increased polarization and populism, the “post-truth” environment, also impact the definition and the role of journalism. What is the shape of journalism in face of these various challenges of the present day? How are news and its use affected by these changes? How are the challenges to journalism shaped in different media systems? How is journalism changing in different parts of the world in answer to the challenges? We will debate these issues in the 7th IUC Comparative Media Systems course drawing on the results of several comparative research projects that investigate these issues today: the Worlds of Journalism Study (http://www.worldsofjournalism.org/) has produced a number of interesting insights into the changes of journalism in different regions of the world; the Digital News Project of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, (https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Digital%20News%
20Report%202017%20web_0.pdf) provides another comparative source on which we will draw; the cross-country study of News as a Democratic resource (articles are available in the new issue of the journal Participations http://www.participations.org/Volume%2014/Issue%202/contents.htm) provides an insight into comparative cross-media news repertoires with a qualitative methodology. The course includes a one day hands-on methodological workshop on the design and implementation of Q interviews and the accompanying statistical analysis of the qualitative interview results.
Course Organization:
This seventh "slow science" IUC-CMS is an interdisciplinary research conference & post-graduate 2 around the beautiful old-town of Dubrovnik (UNESCO World Heritage) over 5 full working days (Monday to Saturday). The working language is English. All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
Additional Information:
For further information about academic matters please contact the organizing course director:
professor Zrinjka Peruško zrinjka.perusko@gmail.com, Centre for Media and Communication
Research (www.cim.fpzg.unizg.hr), Department of Media and Communication, Faculty of Political
Science (www.fpzg.unizg.hr), University of Zagreb (www.unizg.hr).