Program (Time Zone: Lisbon, WET)
09:50 am – Opening session
10:00 am – Session 1
11:30 am – Break
01:30 pm – Session 2
03:00 pm – Break
03:30 pm – Conference “Paywalls, platforms, and partnerships: Exploring emerging approaches to editorial and commercial practice for local news” by Joy Jenkins (Univ. Tenneesse, EUA)
05:00 pm – Break
05:30 pm – Session 3
07:00 pm – Closing session
Communications per session
10:00 am – Session 1
1.1. “Mapping Journalism Terrain. The State of Local Media: Online and Written Press in Arad, Romania”, Carmen Neamţu (Aurel Vlaicu University, Romania)
1.2. “Projeto Lupa NH: experimental strategy to combat the scarcity of local coverage in the Novo Horizonte neighborhood (Macapá/AP), Brazil”, Walter T. L. Junior (Federal University of Amapá / Federal University of Pará, Brazil), Alan Milhomem da Silva (Federal University of Amapá / Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil), Jéssica de Souza Carneiro (Federal University of Pará, Brazil) & Luiza Nobre de Menezes Melo (Federal University of Amapá, Brazil)
1.3. “Digitisation of local journalism: Managers living in the future, journalists in the present”, Signe Ivask & Lenka Waschková Císařová (Masaryk University, Czech Republic)
1.4. “Can local news outlets really benefit from artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other algorithms for automation? A profound reflection on the reality of local media in Portugal”, Ricardo Morais (University of Porto, LabCom, Portugal)
1.5. “Research on the Dilemma of Media Integration and Development of Community Media in Western China”, Wang Xiao (institutional affiliation not indicated)
01:30 pm – Session 2
2.1. “A Logic Model for Local Media Social Media Response to News Rumors”, Yiling Yang (Communication University of China, China)
2.2. “How to Treat Uncertain Information Sources: Understanding Uncertainty Management in Local Media Interaction with the Public”, Shuming Yang (Wuhan University, China)
2.3. “Networked media as a solution to the crisis of proximity journalism”, Giovanni Ramos (University of Beira Interior, Portugal)
2.4. “How automated news can help local journalism?”, Adriana Gonçalves (University of Beira Interior, Portugal)
2.5. “From facts to experience: the knowledge production turn in platform media short-form journalism”, Tieyu Zhou (institutional affiliation not indicated)
05:30 pm – Session 3
3.1 “The Impact of Local Media on Social Psychology in the Context of ‘Infordemic’ – Take Wenzhou Daily Newspaper Group as an example”, Lin Shike & Zhao Chuchu (institutional affiliation not indicated)
3.2. “2022 Shanghai infodemic: Loss of independent rumor verification to local media”, Hongxu Zhu & Mengyao An (Tsinghua University, China)
3.3. “’Eating from the communal pot?’ Research on Transcending Equalitarianism and The Innovation of news production mechanism of local media — Evidence from Rural Counties in Northern China”, Peng Liu & Jiayi Li (Communication University of China, China)
3.4. “’The Power of the Civilian Hero’ – Effective Strategies for Local Media Coverage in Response to Information Epidemics”, Chuchu Zhao & Rongyi Chen (Communication University of China, China)
3.5. “Failing or thriving? The contradictory prognosis for the local newspaper in a post-Covid 19 environment”, Rachel Matthews (Conventry University, UK)
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We have begun to gradually emerge from an unprecedented global crisis. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all sectors, including the media. Journalism has once again performed an important mission, to guarantee populations the necessary information, in a climate of uncertainty. At the same time, the infodemic, disinformation and “fake news” had a privileged opportunity to grow. Production increased, as did exposure, especially in lockdown periods.
This panel focuses on small territories and communities, particularly local media. If studies in this field already showed us that it was a sector experiencing difficulties – a reality that is more evident in some countries than in others, especially with more fragile economies – the current state of the local media remains to be seen. From business and management changes to content distribution, through editorial and production challenges, there is a lot to study and learn about. Although this panel intends to take a transversal look at the transformations that have taken place in local media, thus updating existing knowledge, it also intends to address a topic that has been little present on media studies: disinformation in contexts of proximity, in communities, around local media.
What is the state of the local media, in this gradual process of “exit” from the Covid-19 pandemic? How did local media outlets and their journalists adapt? How did they experience the growing phenomenon of disinformation? And how did they manage to respond? On the other hand, how is AI and automated journalism helping or can it help local newsrooms? This are only some questions that we address to ECREA scholars with the goal of “Rethink Impact” of local media.
