CEECOM 2023

14th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference

The Department of Media Studies and Journalism at the Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, in cooperation with the ECREA Central and East European Network organizes the 14th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM 2023 from 29th – 30th June 2023 in Brno, Czech Republic.

The theme of the 14th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference is Threats, Challenges and Opportunities in Changing Central and Eastern European Media Environments.

In recent years the countries in Central and Eastern European region, similarly to countries worldwide, face various challenges regarding their media systems. Digitalization has provided the public with diverse choices and more media products than ever before, and media routines and the repertoires of audiences have been changing continuously. New information environments in many countries are more fragmented and polarized, followed by growth of divergent alternatives. Legacy media and journalists in many countries in CEE region struggle with declining trust, increasing politization and growing pressure and political interference in the autonomy of the journalists. The rise of illiberal tendencies, populist and radical political actors and populists and radical communication is associated with increased political hostility towards knowledge-producing elite institutions. In populist discourses, established professional media are typically labeled as ‘fake news’ or ‘a part of liberal propaganda’, and professional journalists as enemies of people.
Moreover, during last two years the countries in region were hugely affected by two crises – COVID-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian War taking place in the region itself. Therefore, the aim of the 14th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM 2023 is to address the current issues in the region, threats and challenges the countries face and possibly future development and opportunities. To do so, the specific contexts of individual countries should be addressed with an emphasis on the comparability to access not only the specifics of the CEE region compared to countries worldwide, but also to access the intra-regional diversity.

The organizers welcome proposals for papers in (but not strictly limited to) the following areas of interest:
• The role of media in contemporary socio-political environment
• Media and their role during crisis
• Working conditions and safety of journalists
• Trust in media and journalists
• Political polarization and the role of the media
• The role of recipients (in media content creation)
• Powerfulness vs. powerlessness of media recipients
• Political activism as/and a fan activism
• Protest media and mobilization
• Populist and radical political communication
• Conspiracies, disinformation and propaganda in CEE region
• Regional and local media in CEE
•The role and recent situation of public service media
• Media fragmentation and changing patterns of media consumption and usage
• Risks and opportunities of new media usage
• Media representation, inequalities and minorities
• Alternative media and their use
• Contemporary media industries and media market in CEE

Submission and deadline
Proposals for individual papers can be submitted by email to Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript. until 20th December 2022. Paper proposals addressing one of the proposed topics (other topics on CEE issues are also welcomed) should be specified in an abstract no longer than 150 words. Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by the members of the Scientific Committee.