UK Conference to Focus on Broadcast, Citizen Media
The Institute of Communications Studies at the University of Leeds in the UK is holding a conference Monday, January 7, 2008 entitled: Broadcast News and the Active Citizen. I am thinking maybe David Hazinski, who I went to battle with over the value of Citizen Journalism, should be buying a ticket. Or better yet, Hazinski via the University of Georgia and I via Kennesaw State University, should sponsor a symposium and touch on many of the topics that will be discussed at Leeds, including
Broadcast news institutions are responding in unprecedented ways to a public which increasingly produces and consumes its own journalism.
These trends challenge traditional notions of citizenship and the role of broadcasters. While enabling exploration of a broad range of topics related to these phenomena, we seek to develop insights, in particular, into how the major news broadcasters of the UK – at the local and national levels – can adapt to an increasingly active, engaged, and demanding public.
The conference will explore the changing relationship between Broadcast News and Citizenship through a focus on three key themes.
- What does ‘broadcast news’ mean in the new media age?
- How has participatory journalism challenged notions of citizenship in the UK?
- How is communication now ‘mediated’ between traditional media and audiences/local communities/citizens?
Presenters include:
Brian McNair, University of Strathclyde
Chris Atton, Napier University
Nick Couldry, Goldsmiths College – University of London
Vicky Taylor, BBC Interactive
Simon Bucks, Sky News
Mark Waddington, ITV Local
John Downing, Professor of International Communication, Southern Illinois University
Peter Horrocks, Head of BBC Newsroom
Thanks to my friend Francisco Seoane Pérez, a doctoral student at the University of Leeds, for the tip.
