[Air-L] Cfp EPI – Communication and crisis in the public space

[Dolors.Palau at uv.es]

***Cfp EPI – Communication and crisis in the public space***

http://www.profesionaldelainformacion.com/notas/cfp-epi-communication-and-crisis-in-the-public-space-comunicacion-y-crisis-en-el-espacio-publico/

Journal: Profesional de la información
Topic: Communication and crisis in the public space
Issue:v. 31, n. 3
Publication date: May-June 2022
Manuscript submission deadline: November 10, 2021

Information
In recent years, we have witnessed an increasing polarisation and discrediting of institutions that have traditionally been seen as representative of a democratic system (Bennett; Pfetsch, 2018), both internationally and in Spain. The arrival of populism, the fragmentation of the vote (Stroud, 2010) and difficulties in attaining a majority that allow solid governments to be formed, pose serious questions regarding the future in hybrid communications scenarios, in which disinformation (Guess; Nyhan; Reifler, 2018) begins to reach worrying levels for the majority of citizens. 
Traditional mainstream media losing credibility, and the possibilities of creating and distributing messages via social media at the same time, has opened the door to political and social actors who had previously been excluded from it, but has also lowered the norms on the circulation of messages focused on disseminating lies or hate speech. In this context, far from facilitating agreement and unity around democratic values, they have contributed to polarisation and disintegration (Sunstein, 2019), as well as a greater presence and visibility of political positions that directly confront these principles. The emergence of a party in Spanish politics that agrees with the principles of the extreme right, and represented in institutions after almost four decades on the fringes, raises the need to reflect on a political, social and media scenario that feeds back on the repercussions in the democratic system.
Quality, fact-checked information, based on the public interest in the content, respectful of the ethical principles of the profession is one of the democratic pillars; the guarantee that citizens will have sufficient data to make a substantiated decision when voting. In recent decades, however, the media’s position on commercial formulas, the growing politicisation and the public perception of lower quality –as witnessed by both experts and staff– has contributed to reduced confidence in mainstream media in a context whereby the media have blamed the effects of the economic crisis, coinciding with a crisis in business models.
The loss of confidence also affects public representation bodies –both institutions and political parties– that are suffering from an exhaustion that puts major challenges for the democratic system into the open.
In this context, this special issue on «Communication and crisis in the public space» invites an in-depth reflection on the future challenges of a society that sees traditional forms of representation being questioned while living with growing disintegration. This cfp is committed to work with an international outlook, both theoretical and methodological, that explore the interaction between communication processes and political and social change processes, with the aim of understanding the implications. Case studies or merely descriptive articles are therefore rejected.
As a guideline, the following possible topics are proposed for this special edition on «Communication and crisis in the public space»:
– Debate, discrepancy, division and polarisation: Media feedback
– Representative democracy: crisis of leadership and threats
– Brexit, Euroscepticism and the future of European institutions
– The socio-economic crisis, the pandemic and fragile democracies
– Scepticism, apathy, negativity and political cynicism
– Emotions and emotional communities
– Politics of the other: from adversary to moral and political enemy
– Populist parties. Speeches, strategies, and the results of these groupings
– Spin doctoring and underground campaigning techniques. Disinformation and fake news
– Pressure groups: Influence and campaign development around specific issues
– Disinformation and hate speech: perpetrators and victims
– Alt-reality narratives
– Polarisation, hyperpartisanship, and echo chambers
– Internet, memes, humour and online hate
– Infotainment: polarisation, populism and disinformation
– Democratic institutions in fictional products

References
Bennett, W. Lance; Pfetsch, Barbara (2018). «Rethinking political communication in a time of disrupted public spheres». Journal of Communication, v. 68, n. 2, pp. 243-253.
https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqx017
Guess, Andrew; Nyhan, Brendan; Reifler, Jason (2018). «Selective exposure to misinformation: Evidence from the consumption of fake news during the 2016 US presidential campaign». European Research Council, 9.
https://about.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/fake-news-2016.pdf
Stroud, Natalie-Jomini (2010). «Polarization and partisan selective exposure». Journal of communication, v. 60, n. 3, pp. 556-576.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2010.01497.x
Sunstein, Cass R. (2019). How change happens. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN: 978 0 262039574

Guest editors:
Guillermo López-García, Associate Professor of Journalism
guillermo.lopez at uv.es
Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication, University of Valencia
Dolors Palau-Sampio, Associate Professor of Journalism
dolors.palau at uv.es
Faculty of Philology, Translation and Communication, University of Valencia

Manuscript submission
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Evaluation
All articles published in EPI are evaluated in double blind by 2 or more members of the international Scientific Committee of the journal, and other reviewers, always external to the Editorial Board. The journal undertakes to reply with the review results.