When: October 17-18 2013
Where: Jönköping University, School of education and communication, Room He 102
Media research is in need of a turn that shifts focus to the needs of media practitioners, employing theory in the service of practice by conducting research with a critical angle that does not only explain the social reality of media institutions and their practitioners but provides alternatives to help them pursue “rational” policies. In other words, media practitioners and media scholars should work together to bridge the gap separating media practice and theory.
Bridging this gap is not an easy task for several reasons, most prominent among them is the fact that media scholars do not approach their research from a unified social reality viewpoint. There are differences among media scholars and theorists in regard to their understanding of theory and its relation to practice. The supremacy of theory in media studies has relegated practice to the receiving end, thereby alienating practitioners and their institutions.
The conference explores ways in which practitioners and academics can work together, build mutual trust, learn from each other and get engaged in joint projects to improve the practice of journalism and increase public awareness of the crucial role the media play in today’s world.
Confirmed speakers include:
1.Matthew Eltringham (BBC)
2.David Elstein (founder and former chief executive of U.K.’s Channel Five)
3.Masood Yazdani (Manager, Intellect Ltd.)
4.Meron Medzini (former director of Israel government press office)
5.Mustafa Barghouthi (Palestine National Initiative)
6.Nazar Daw (Sky News)
7.Marcela Pizarro (Al Jazeera English)
8.Sarah Niblock (Professor of Journalism, Brunel University, London)
9.Michal Krzyzanowski (Professor of Media and Communication, Örebro University)
10.Colleen Cotter (Professor of Journalism, Queen Mary University, London)
11.Åke Pettersson (Sveriges Radio)
