CONGRESS / 13 December, 2024
Pompeu Fabra University, Roc Boronat Building (Communication campus – Poblenou): Roc Boronat, 138 08018 Barcelona
Presentation
The project XQ.EUJOY: European Youth Journalism. The Why of the News project seeks to strengthen the role of journalism as an educational tool and contribute to the development of a more critical and informed citizenry.
XQ.EUJOY invites proposals for the international congress ‘Journalism and education: why news in the age of disinformation’ with the aim of encouraging critical reflection on journalism as a democratic right and an essential educational tool. By its very nature, journalism expands the boundaries of democratic rights, promotes transparency and stimulates critical thinking in society. Through its ethics and deontology, journalism makes a crucial contribution to building a more informed citizenry committed to democratic values.
Today, however, this role is threatened by a profound change in the media industry. The prioritisation of immediacy and the viralisation of content, often at the expense of the quality and veracity of information, poses a formidable challenge to those who see journalism as a pillar of modern democracies. This conference seeks to address these challenges from a variety of perspectives, looking at how journalism can recover and strengthen its formative and critical role in a context where misinformation, data manipulation and infodemics are increasingly visible threats.
The XQ.EUJOY project promotes the critical analysis of journalism in Europe, highlighting its educational and transformative potential. The conference aims to deepen this vision by promoting dialogue between academics, journalists and other key actors on the future of journalism in an increasingly interconnected and digitalised world. Through this meeting, XQ.EUJOY reaffirms its commitment to responsible, ethical journalism, committed to democratic values and able to face the challenges of misinformation and inequality in media representation.
About the congress
The Congress aims to create a space for dialogue and interdisciplinary reflection on the transformations of journalism in the digital age. The event will analyse the growing influence of disinformation and informational disorder in the media landscape, as well as the need to integrate decolonial perspectives in the elaboration of journalistic narratives. In this context, post-truth and polarisation have sharpened the ethical challenges faced by journalism. The conference will encourage critical reflection on how the media can address these issues, balancing news integrity with fundamental ethical principles.
The congress will discuss how journalism can respond effectively to the demands of the digital age without compromising its fundamental mission to inform, educate and strengthen democracy. Among the main concerns to be addressed will be the pernicious effects of misinformation and hate speech, phenomena exacerbated by the irresponsible use of social media and the massive misuse of data. Through rigorous analysis, innovative tools and methodologies that can help counter these problems will be explored.
Another central theme will be the need to incorporate decolonial and intersectional approaches to journalism, recognising that dominant narratives often reproduce inequalities and exclude critical voices. The conference will invite us to rethink the role of journalism in representing groups displaced to the margins and to imagine new ways of doing journalism that promote social justice and equity.
In addition, the event will be an opportunity to examine the relationship between journalism and education, considering how the media can collaborate with educational institutions to form critical citizens. In a context where access to information is mediated by algorithms and digital platforms, it is essential to promote a strong media education that equips new generations with the necessary tools to navigate the contemporary information environment.
Keynote Speakers
Cristina Fernández Rovira, lecturer at the University of Vic, coordinator of the degree in Global Studies (UVic), and a member of the TRACTE research group
Eileen Truax, journalist specialising in politics, immigration and social movements
Luiz Peres-Neto, Serra Húnter lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Call for proposals
Proposals should reflect on how journalism can adapt to changes in society without losing its essence as a guarantor of democratic rights and its educational potential. The organising committee will value those works that provide a critical look at new technologies, disinformation and the need for more inclusive and decolonial narratives.
The European project XQ.EUJOY invites students, journalists, teachers and professionals of journalism and communication to participate in the presentation of papers related to the following thematic axes:
- The dissociation between traditional journalism and the new communicative paradigm: The growing pre-eminence of the ‘viral’ over veracity and informative rigour; and analysis of the manipulation of data and its use to distort reality.
- Journalism as an educational tool: Reflections on the lack of essential skills in both the consumption and production of journalistic information, and the need for journalism to contribute to the development of critical thinking.
- Journalistic responsibility and ethics in the contemporary world: Challenges of journalism in the digital age and the need for a strong ethical commitment.
Topics
Contributions are welcome on the following topics:
- Artificial intelligence and fact-checking: Tools and strategies for the fight against disinformation.
- Fake news, deepfake and disinformation: Critical analysis and proposals for its containment.
- Hate speech: Especially directed at women, immigrants, LGTBIQ+ people, and its role in reinforcing negative stereotypes.
- Journalism on human, social and environmental rights: The need for a journalistic approach committed to social reality and equality.
- Journalistic ethics: The responsibility of journalism in representing ‘otherness’ and the importance of more inclusive approaches.
- Press freedom: An essential right for the defence of other fundamental rights.
- Alternative perspectives: Contributions from decolonial, feminist, anti-racist and intersectional perspectives that promote journalism committed to social justice.
- Job instability of journalists: With special attention to the precariousness of young journalists and its implications for news quality.
- Bridges between journalism and education: Media literacy as a key tool for the formation of a critical and participatory citizenship.
Submission Guidelines
We invite the entire academic, student and professional community to participate, contributing their experience and knowledge to the discussions around these key issues.
Proposals should be submitted via the conference registration form, attaching a Word file including the following information: title, full name, institutional affiliation, e-mail, five keywords, and an abstract of between 300 and 500 words.
The official language for contributions is English. The deadline for submissions is 31 October.
All proposals will be evaluated by the conference organising committee on the basis of their relevance to the topics covered, originality and quality, with the advice of the scientific committee.
Selected contributions will be featured in one of the conference panels. Each author will have 15 minutes: 10 minutes for their presentation, followed by 5 minutes for audience questions.
XQ The News plans to launch two issues linked to the congress, so there is the possibility of converting the contribution into an article for publication in the magazine.
If you have any questions, you can contact us at: info@xqthenews.com
We look forward to your contributions!
Important Dates
Deadline for submission of contributions: 31 October.
- Notification of acceptance of the proposal: 8 November.
- Congress: 13 December.
Organised by:
Consortium of the XQ.EUJOY Project: Ediciones Octaedro, Fundació Periodisme Plural, Aspea, Idea Dinamica, Dataninja
Organising Committee:
- Laura Casamitjana, Fundació Periodisme Plural
- Rafael Correia, Aspea
- Paula Estalayo Bielsa, Ediciones Octaedro
- Valentina Insernia, Idea Dinamica
- Alessia Melchiorre, Dataninja
Scientific Committee:
- Ana Basanta, Fundació Periodisme Plural
- Nicola Bruno, Dataninja
- Luigi Cazzato, University of Bari
- Santiago Giraldo Luque, Autonomous University of Barcelona
- Estel Huguet, Fundació Periodisme Plural
- Marilù Mastroggiovani, Idea Dinamica
- Joaquim Ramos Pinto, Aspea
- Luísa Schmidt, ICS-ULisboa
Agenda
Friday 13 th December, 2024
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Registration |
| 10:00 – 11:00 | Presentation of the XQ.EUJOY project |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Keynote 1. Cristina Fernández Rovira: “For free and quality journalism: 10 reasons for the media to shut down their social networks” |
| 12:15 – 13:15 | Panel 1 |
| 13:15 – 14:30 | Lunch break |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Keynote 2. Eileen Truax: “Black, illegal, latino, expat: challenging the colonial narrative in Media” |
| 15:15 – 16:15 | Panel 2 |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Keynote 3. Luiz Peres Garzezi (UAB): “Journalism, polarization and algorithmic epistemology” |
| 17:00 – 17:30 | Closing |
