April 2025 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Open Discussion with 2025-27 AoIR Executive Committee Candidates
by AoIR Association Coordinator 11 Apr '25

11 Apr '25

This year the members of the Association of Internet Researchers elect a new Executive Committee. We are very grateful to the candidates who are standing for the various positions on the AoIR Executive. They are listed at the bottom of this email. The sharp-eyed among you will notice we have no candidates for the position of Treasurer. If you have a US Social Security Number, you could be our next Treasurer and shape the ongoing professionalization of AoIR. Please talk to Nik for more information (prez [@] aoir.org) AoIR holds a period before voting during which members are invited to ask questions of the candidates. To see their statements and to ask them questions, please log in to the AoIR membership system at members.aoir.org. If you’re not a member, now would be a great time to join, or renew your membership, so that you can participate in discussions with the candidates and vote in the election. Only people who are active members on 21 April 2025, midnight, GMT-5 will be able to vote. To log in, you need to know the email address that you used to register as a member, and your password. Log on to https://members.aoir.org. (If you’ve forgotten your password, you can follow the on-screen instructions to have a new one emailed to you. If you’ve forgotten the email you used to register, please contact AoIR's Association Coordinator at AC [@] aoir.org) Once you’ve logged in, you’ll find the candidate statements under Members -> Elections -> Candidate Statements, and you’ll see a link there for the discussions as well. Each discussion includes a Reply function that enables you to participate. Log in and get to know the candidates, and please return to vote! Voting will open on 22 April 2025, and close on 29 April 2025. We use an online voting system, and will send out information about how to vote when the voting period opens. In addition to voting for members of the new Executive Committee, this year we are bringing to the membership’s approval AoIR's new Political Statement Policy and Process that will enable members to put forward statements that they wish to see adopted by AoIR. You can read the Political Statement Policy and Process here <https://aoir.org/politicalstatementandprocess/> ( https://aoir.org/politicalstatementandprocess/) My sincere thanks to all the candidates for their willingness to serve, and their desire to make AoIR even better. Many thanks in advance also to all of our AoIR members (and soon-to-be-members!) for your participation in the election process. Nik John President, AoIR Graduate Student Representative - James Epps Graduate Student Representative - Lynrose Jane Genon Graduate Student Representative - Beatrys Rodrigues Secretary - Nathalie Schäfer Open Seat - Luke Heemsbergen Open Seat - Anna Jobin Open Seat - Elisabetta Locatelli Open Seat - Admire Mare Open Seat - Noel Packard Open Seat - Rebecca Scharlach Open Seat - Meg Jing Zeng Vice President - Robert W. Gehl Vice President - Andra Siibak

1 0

[ACM RecSys] Final Call for Tutorials
by Starke, Alain 10 Apr '25

10 Apr '25

Dear all, We are pleased to share the final call for tutorials for the ACM Conference on Recommender Systems, to be taken place in Prague, September 22-26. The call details can be found on our website: https://recsys.acm.org/recsys25/call/tutorials. Deadline for submission is April 15, 23:59 AoE. Kind regards, Alain

1 0

CfP: Games & Gaming, HICSS Jan 2026
by Nathaniel Poor 10 Apr '25

10 Apr '25

Call for Papers: The 10th Anniversary of Games & Gaming at HICSS! (Game Scholars and Hawaii in January!) Games & Gaming at HICSS 59th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) January 6th - 9th, 2026, Hyatt Regency Maui For the TENTH straight year, the Games & Gaming minitrack at HICSS is seeking papers that examine the social aspects of digital gaming. We feature work related to digital games and sociality that covers a variety of methods: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers are welcome, ranging from interviews to big data analyses, detailed observations of games and associated social or streaming networks, as well as theoretical papers looking at digital gaming practices in general. Types of games studied may include mobile, social, free to play, AAA, MMOs, PC, console, multiplayer, and indie games. As part of the Digital and Social Media track, papers must contain a social dimension, examining, for example, sociability, social practices, communities (in-game, out-game, across multiple spaces or time), use of social affordances, or some other social dimension. Student authors are welcome! See here for HICSS author instructions and guidelines: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/. Also, see below for links to previously accepted papers to get an idea of what we are looking for, and a list of other game-related mini-tracks that will probably be at HICSS 59. DATES April 15: Submission site opens (see http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/) June 15, 11:59 pm HST: Papers due August 17: Decision notification September 22: Camera ready version due October 1: Deadline for at least one author to register for HICSS January 6-9, 2026: Conference! G&G TOPICS Community management Cooperative and competitive play Fans and fan communities Game curation via sites like Steam Game design for sociality Intercultural play Multigenerational play Multiplayer games Network analysis of game-related groups and communities Player communities Social affordances of games Social issues in game development Social practices (in-game, out-game, both) Streaming gameplay (e.g., Twitch, YouTube Live, etc.) Toxicity online …or email us! LINKS HICSS: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/ Author Instructions: http://hicss.hawaii.edu/authors/ Digital and Social Media track: https://hicss.hawaii.edu/tracks-57/digital-and-social-media/ Papers from 2025: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/109892 Papers from 2024: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/107457 Papers from 2023: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/102510 Papers from 2022: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/79200 Papers from 2021: https://hdl.handle.net/10125/72169 CO-CHAIRS Nathaniel Poor (Primary Contact Co-Chair) Underwood Institute natpoor(a)gmail.com <mailto:natpoor@gmail.com> Steph Orme Key Lime Interactive orme.stephanie(a)gmail.com <mailto:orme.stephanie@gmail.com> Andy Phelps American University & University of Canterbury andymphelps(a)gmail.com <mailto:andymphelps@gmail.com> OTHER GAME-RELATED MINI-TRACKS AT HICSS 59 (and Track) Esports (in Internet at Work and Play) Explainable and Responsible AI in Gamification (in Decision Analytics and Service Science) Game-Based Learning (in Knowledge Innovation and Entrepreneurial Systems) Game-Changing Analytics in Sports Minitrack (in Decision Analytics and Service Science) Games for Impact (in Software Technology) Gamification (in Decision Analytics and Service Science) Metaverse, Mixed Reality, and Digital Me (in Digital and Social Media) Metaverse for Work and Play (in Internet at Work and Play) Social Media Influencers and Influencing (in Digital and Social Media) ------------------------------- Nathaniel Poor, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Underwood Institute http://www.underwood-institute.org/ http://github.com/natpoor http://natpoor.blogspot.com/ http://sites.google.com/site/natpoor/

1 0

Reminder: CFP special issue "Digital Resilience within a Hypermediated Polycrisis"
by Esteve Del Valle, M. 10 Apr '25

10 Apr '25

Dear colleagues, This is a reminder about the CFP for the special issue "Digital Resilience within a Hypermediated Polycrisis": https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/pages/view/nextissues#… *Editor(s): * Marc Esteve del Valle (University of Groningen), Ansgard Heinrich (University of Groningen), and Anabel Quan-Haase (University of Western Ontario) *Submission of Abstracts: *1-15 May 2025 *Submission of Full Papers: *15-30 September 2025 *Publication of the Issue: *January/June 2026 *Information: * As the world faces a state of interwoven and overlapping crises—Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and ongoing wars with global scope—referred to as “polycrisis” (Morin & Kern, 1999, p. 74), the role of media, and in particular of online social networks (boyd & Ellison, 2007), in affecting people’s resilience to withstand these crises remains understudied (Craig et al., 2015). This is problematic, as people’s extensive engagement with online social networks intertwines resilience to these crises with their practices on these digital platforms (Esteve-del-Valle et al., 2022). This thematic issue aims to discuss how digital resilience (Tomkova, 2020) can be (re)defined within a state of polycrisis that—thanks to increased global connectivity through digitization—can be characterized as “hypermediated” (Hepp, 2020). It aims to bring together theoretical, conceptual, and empirical contributions examining how digital resilience can help counter digital threats such as mis/disinformation, conspiracy theories, malicious bots, or deepfakes (among others). The editors welcome proposals that focus on both individual countries and comparative studies employing quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. We welcome proposals that address (yet are not limited to) potential questions/themes such as: - How can digital resilience be (re)defined within the current hypermediated polycrisis? - How can digital resilience be conceptually integrated with digital literacy? - What strategies can be employed to enhance digital resilience in countering misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms? - How can digital resilience help mitigate current polarizing and radicalizing narratives in online social networks? - What measures can be taken to build digital resilience against polluted online environmental discussions? - What role can journalists play in increasing digital resilience against the so-called crisis of trust in media? We particularly seek contributions that employ interdisciplinary approaches and strive for a balanced representation of gender and non-Western viewpoints. *References* boyd, d., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. *Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication*, *13*(1), 210–230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x Craig, S. L., McInroy, L., McCready, L. T., & Alaggia, R. (2015). Media: A catalyst for resilience in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth. *Journal of LGBT Youth*, *12*(3), 254–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2015.1040193 Esteve-del-Valle, M., Costa, E., & Hagedoorn, B. (2022). Network shocks and social support among Spanish, Dutch, and Italian WhatsApp users during the first wave of the Covid-19 crisis: An exploratory analysis of digital social resilience. *International Journal of Communication*, *16*, 2126–2145. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/18282 Hepp, A. (2020). *Deep mediatization*. Routledge. Morin, E., & Kern, A. B. (1999). *Homeland earth: A manifesto for the new millennium*. Hampton Press. Tomkova, J. (2020). Digital social resilience: Navigating in the new normal. *Cybersecurity and Resilience in the Arctic*, *58*, 413–426. https://doi.org/10.3233/NICSP200060 *Instructions for Authors*: Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal's instructions for authors and submit their abstracts (maximum of 250 words, with a tentative title) through the abstracts system (here <https://www.cogitatiopress.com/abstracts>). When submitting their abstracts, authors are also asked to confirm that they are aware that Media and Communication is an open-access journal with a publishing fee if the article is accepted for publication after peer-review (corresponding authors affiliated with our institutional members do not incur this fee). *Open Access:* Readers across the globe will be able to access, share, and download this issue entirely for free. Corresponding authors affiliated with any of our institutional members <https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/pages/view/institution…> (over 90 institutions worldwide) publish free of charge. Otherwise, an article processing fee will be charged to the authors to cover editorial costs. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and encourage them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open-access publication costs. Further information about the journal's open-access charges can be found here <https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/about/editorialPolicie…> . Best wishes, Marc Esteve del Valle -- Dr. Marc Esteve del Valle, *Senior Lecturer*, Centre for Media and Journalism Studies, University of Groningen (The Netherlands) | Google Scholar <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BtRD8IkAAAAJ&hl=en> <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marc_Esteve_Del_Valle>

1 0

Hypertextes (CIS-CNRS online book club): three sessions in English, one tomorrow April 10
by Francesca Musiani 09 Apr '25

09 Apr '25

Dear all, Please allow me to share the announcement of the final three sessions of the year for Hypertextes, the online book club of the Centre for Internet and Society of CNRS. All three of them will be in English, and one is tomorrow afternoon! Hoping to see you there! Francesca --- *Inscription* : https://evento.renater.fr/survey/hypertextes-7oi2n9xz *Jeudi 10 avril 2025, 16h à 17h* *Ya-Wen Lei* (Harvard University), pour son ouvrage *The Gilded Cage: Technology, Development, and State Capitalism in China* (Princeton University Press, 2023). Sa présentation sera discutée par *Séverine Arsène*, politologue et sinologue, chercheuse associée au médialab (Sciences Po). Since the mid-2000s, the Chinese state has increasingly shifted away from labor-intensive, export-oriented manufacturing to a process of socioeconomic development centered on science and technology. Ya-Wen Lei traces the contours of this techno-developmental regime and its resulting form of techno-state capitalism, telling the stories of those whose lives have been transformed — for better and worse — by China’s rapid rise to economic and technological dominance. Drawing on groundbreaking fieldwork and a wealth of in-depth interviews with managers, business owners, workers, software engineers, and local government officials, Lei describes the vastly unequal values assigned to economic sectors deemed “high-end” versus “low-end,” and the massive expansion of technical and legal instruments used to measure and control workers and capital. She shows how China’s rise has been uniquely shaped by its time-compressed development, the complex relationship between the nation’s authoritarian state and its increasingly powerful but unruly tech companies, and an ideology that fuses nationalism with high modernism, technological fetishism, and meritocracy. Some have compared China’s extraordinary transformation to America’s Gilded Age. This provocative book reveals how it is more like a gilded cage, one in which the Chinese state and tech capital are producing rising inequality and new forms of social exclusion. *+ d'infos sur cette séance* : https://cis.cnrs.fr/hypertextes-ya-wen-lei/ *Lundi 28 avril 2025, 16h à 17h* *Quinn Slobodian* (Boston University), , pour son livre *Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right* (Princeton University Press, 2025). Sa présentation sera discutée par *Théo Bourgeron* (University of Edinburgh) et *Apolline Taillandier* (University of Cambridge and University of Bonn). *+ d'infos sur cette séance* : https://cis.cnrs.fr/hypertextes-quinn-slobodian/ *Lundi 12 mai 2025, 18h30 à 19h30* *Thomas S. Mullaney* (Stanford University), , pour son ouvrage The Chinese Computer. A Global History of the Information Age (MIT Press, 2024). Sa présentation sera discutée par *Camille Paloque-Bergès* (HT2S, Conservatoire national des arts et métiers). *+ d'infos sur cette séance* : https://cis.cnrs.fr/hypertextes-thomas-s-mullaney/ -- Francesca Musiani, Ph.D. Directrice de recherche | Research Professor, CNRS <http://www.cnrs.fr> Directrice | Director, Centre Internet et Société <https://cis.cnrs.fr/> (UPR 2000 CNRS) Directrice adjointe | Deputy Director, GDR Internet, IA et Société <https://cis.cnrs.fr/presentation-gdr/> (GDR 2091 CNRS) I'm also associated with: i3-CSI <http://www.csi.ensmp.fr/>, MINES ParisTech | Internet Governance Lab <https://internetgovernancelab.org>, American University I co-lead projects: DIGISOV <https://digisov.org> | TIGre <https://netgouv.hypotheses.org/projet-technologie-internet-et-gouvernance-t…> I help co-editing: Internet Policy Review <https://policyreview.info> | RESET <https://journals.openedition.org/reset/> I'm an advisor for: ISOC France <https://www.isoc.fr> | ANSSI <https://www.ssi.gouv.fr/agence/rayonnement-scientifique/conseil-scientifiqu…> | IAMCR <https://iamcr.org/governance/int-council> I'm here on the Web (FR <https://cis.cnrs.fr/francesca-musiani/> | EN <https://cis.cnrs.fr/en/francesca_musiani/>), including my publications.

1 0

CfP, Special Issue, Cultural Workers and Generative AI (AI & Society journal)
by Rafael Do Nascimento Grohmann 09 Apr '25

09 Apr '25

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce a call for a special issue of AI & Society journal on Cultural Workers and Generative AI, edited my me, Daphne Idiz (University of Toronto) and Zoë Glatt (Microsoft’s Social Media Collective). The deadline for sending abstracts is June 30, 2025. More info here: https://link.springer.com/journal/146/updates/27770372 CfP: Cultural Workers and Generative AI (AI & Society Journal) Since the unprecedented agreement that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) managed to negotiate in relation to the use of generative AI in the workplace in 2023, cultural workers—in sectors such as music, film and television, journalism, social media content creation and gaming have been in the spotlight as one of the main exponents of how workers, individually and collectively, have responded to the development of generative AI around the world. These issues range from questions of workforce replacement and the reshaping of labor processes, working conditions, forms of building collectivities (e.g. unions, associations, cooperatives, guilds) and how cultural workers have understood the meanings and practices of AI (e.g. culturally, discursively and politically). Themes: This topical collection of AI & Society (AI&S) focuses on how workers in the cultural sector—understood as actors, writers, musicians, game performers, journalists, content creators, etc.—are engaging with generative AI in the workplace. It aims to analyze, on the one hand, the ways that cultural labor is being reshaped by AI in terms of labor process and cultures of production, and, on other hand, the ways that cultural workers are collectively fighting back against AI, through bargaining, co-operative formation or refusal. We are looking for articles that centre workers and work experience in relation to AI around the world. The collection will include empirically-grounded articles with original arguments covering different geographies and sectors. Topics and themes will include: * Labor Processes: How generative AI is reshaping labor processes in the cultural sector, both within and beyond the point of production, including the role of social reproduction. * Cultures of Production: How generative AI is reshaping the cultures of production and creative practices in cultural industries. * Working Conditions: Experiences of everyday work with generative AI in the cultural sector around the world, and in different sub-sectors of the cultural industries. * Identities: The ways that social and global hierarchies and intersectional inequalities (e.g. gender, sexuality, race, ability, nationality, class, etc.) embedded in generative AI models intersect with uses, experiences and organizations of power in the cultural industries. * Data Work: The role of AI data work (Miceli & Posada 2022) in cultural industries. Who are the data workers feeding the machine (Muldoon, Graham & Cant 2024) for the cultural sector, and what are the conditions and politics of their labor? * Worker Organizing: The ways that cultural workers are organizing for and against generative AI in the workplace. How are workers bargaining, campaigning, protesting and mobilizing in relation to AI? How do cultural workers intervene in policies through collective action? How do they collectively learn about and come to understand generative AI? * Worker-Led Reappropriations: How cultural workers are reappropriating AI in non-dominant work arrangements, e.g. cooperatives and collectives, in terms of “computing otherwise” (Amrute & Murillo 2020)? * Geographies and Value Chains: The commonalities and differences of cultural workers’ experiences in relation to generative AI. The role of global dependencies in the cultural sector in relation to AI (e.g. a fair agreement for an actor in one country can badly affect voice actors in another country). How to connect the AI value chains in the cultural industries. * Industry Changes: How is generative AI changing cultural sectors at the industry level? What are the impacts of Big Tech’s increasing involvement in cultural production, especially their investments in generative AI? Who are the tech workers behind these projects on generative AI in cultural production? How is the political economy of cultural production transforming due to the introduction of generative AI? * Intimacies: How generative AI is transforming the nature of relationships between cultural producers and their audiences and fans, for example through the introduction of personalized chatbots trained on the data of (micro)celebrities and through the emergence of AI-generated influencers. Guest Editors: Dr Rafael Grohmann, University of Toronto, Canada, rafael.grohmann(a)utoronto.ca Dr Daphne Idiz, University of Toronto, Canada, daphne.idiz(a)utoronto.ca Dr Zoë Glatt, Microsoft’s Social Media Collective, United States, zoe.glatt(a)microsoft.com Contribution Types: We welcome contributions in the format of research papers (max 10K words) with substantial theoretical, methodological, and empirical interventions. Original papers will be double blind peer-reviewed by two reviewers and the editorial team. Firstly, send a 500-word abstract to rafael.grohmann(a)utoronto.ca<mailto:rafael.grohmann@utoronto.ca>, outlining a) the main argument; b) the theoretical background; c) methods; d) main findings. If your abstract is accepted, you will be invited to submit the full manuscript. Important Dates: Abstract submission: 30th June 2025 Manuscript submission: 31st October 2025 Notifications: 28th February 2026 Revised papers due: 30th April 2026 Submission: You can find more information about formatting under the section “Submission guidelines” https://www.springer.com/journal/146. For inquiries and to submit your abstract, please contact: rafael.grohmann(a)utoronto.ca<mailto:rafael.grohmann@utoronto.ca> with the subject “AI&S Special issue on Cultural Workers and Generative AI.” After approval of the abstract please do submit your manuscript via the 'Submit your manuscript' button available on https://www.springer.com/journal/146. -- dr. Rafael Grohmann Assistant Professor of Media Studies Department of Arts, Culture and Media<https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/acm/rafael-grohmann> Faculty of Information<https://ischool.utoronto.ca/profile/rafael-grohmann/> University of Toronto Leader, DigiLabour<https://digilabour.com.br/> Research Associate, University of Oxford<https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/people/profiles/rafael-grohmann/> Founding Editor, Platforms & Society<https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PNS> Principal Investigator, Worker-Owned Intersectional Platforms (WOIP)<https://digilabour.com.br/worker-owned-intersectional-platforms-woip/> Co-Lead, Creative Labour and Critical Futures (CLCF)<https://criticaldigitalmethods.ca/creative-labour-critical-futures/> 2024-2025 Faculty Fellow, Queer and Trans Research Lab, Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto<https://sds.utoronto.ca/qtrl-cohort-2024-25/>

1 0

Creative reflexivity and journaling
by Janet Salmons 09 Apr '25

09 Apr '25

Creative reflexivity and journaling are topics for the "When the Field is Online" newsletter in April. Here is the first installment! Find my ideas, some interesting frameworks, and lots of open-access articles so you can learn more. While "reflexivity" has been associated with qualitative research, I think it is valuable for any researcher. https://janetsalmons.substack.com/p/reflexivity-and-qualitative-research?r=… Subscribe to "When the Field is Online" free monthly newsletter http://tinyurl.com/qualnews Take care everyone, Janet Janet Salmons, PhD (She/her/hers) www.salmons.blog Unabhängie Forscherin, Free-Range Scholar and Creative 2024 Research Fellow, Center for Advanced Internet Studies Boulder, Colorado USA janet(a)salmons.blog<mailto:jsalmons@vision2lead.com>

1 0

Digital Methods Summer School in Manchester
by Lukasz Szulc 09 Apr '25

09 Apr '25

Dear all, A reminder about our Digital Methods Summer School! Come join us in Manchester between 30 June and 4 July 2025 to learn about: - text mining - creative AI methods - sensing methods - geospatial methods - visual methods - data visualisation (+ critical reflections on ethics and open science) For more information, see: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/db5oUkcvjH3iw Very best, Łukasz Dr Łukasz Szulc<https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/%C5%82ukasz-szulc> (he/him) Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture School of Arts, Languages and Cultures University of Manchester UNITED KINGDOM RECENT PUBLICATIONS (2024) Special Issue: Transnational Queer Cultures and Digital Media. https://academic.oup.com/ccc/issue/17/3 (2023) Culture is transnational. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13678779221131349 (2022) Uncanny Europe and Protective Europeanness: When European Identity Becomes a Queerly Viable Option. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00380385211024117 (2020) Digital Gender Disidentifications: Beyond the Subversion Versus Hegemony Dichotomy and Toward Everyday Gender Practices. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/15396

1 0

Methods Workshop on Youth Perspectives on Digital Media
by Ana Hermeto Kubrusly 09 Apr '25

09 Apr '25

METHODS WORKSHOP: YOUTH PERSPECTIVES ON DIGITAL MEDIA: HOW AND WHY TO LISTEN 22 April 2025 I Online RSVP: http://www.tinyurl.com/irdlworkshop Dear colleagues, We are excited to invite you to join our upcoming methods workshop, *Youth Perspectives on Digital Media: How and Why to Listen*, where we will explore approaches, paradigms, ethical challenges, and strategies for listening to—and centering—youth voices in research on their digital lives. This workshop offers the opportunity to: - Build a network of international youth media scholars - Hear firsthand from experts working in the field - Reflect on and refine your own research methodologies We are pleased to welcome guest speakers: § *Maria Castéllvi-Llorevas* (Pompeu Fabra University, Spain) § *Riccardo Pronzato* (University of Bologna, Italy) § *Sara Pereira* (University of Minho, Portugal) § *Shauna Pomerantz* (Brock University, Canada) The event will include presentations from our guest speakers, interactive activities, and dedicated time for networking and discussion. Learn more and register here: http://www.tinyurl.com/irdlworkshop For any questions, please contact Ana Kubrusly at: a59022(a)campus.fcsh.unl.pt Organized by Ana Kubrusly (NOVA University of Lisbon & Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal) and Natalie Coulter (York University, Canada). Kind regards, *Ana Kubrusly* -- *Ana Kubrusly (she/her) * *ana.kubrusly.com <http://ana.kubrusly.com>* *LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-kubrusly-02291033a/>* PhD-candidate at Nova University of Lisbon (NOVA FCSH) FCT Fellowship PRT/BD/154767/2023

1 0

Call for Abstracts: Journalism as a Science Watchdog: Theories, Practices, and Implications
by Alice Fleerackers 08 Apr '25

08 Apr '25

*** apologies for cross-posting *** Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to invite you to contribute to a Special Issue for Media and Communication on “Journalism as a Science Watchdog: Theories, Practices, and Implications.” The issue takes a broad view of watchdog science journalism as journalism that investigates, exposes, and warns society of the misuses and abuses of science methods, processes, outcomes, and authority by those practicing, funding, and/or using science in the public domain (e.g., scientists, government, businesses). We invite contributions of diverse theoretical, methodological, or disciplinary perspectives, from any corner of the world. Details about the call are copied below and available at the following link: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/pages/view/nextissues#…. We look forward to reading your submissions! Alice (and An) — Alice Fleerackers (she/her) Assistant Professor of Journalism and Civic Engagement, Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam Vice President, PCST Network alicefleerackers.com Call for Abstracts: Journalism as a Science Watchdog: Theories, Practices, and Implications Special Issue Editors: Alice Fleerackers (University of Amsterdam) An Nguyen (Bournemouth University) Timeline: Submission of Abstracts: 1-15 October 2025 Submission of Full Papers: 15-28 February 2026 Publication of the Issue: July/December 2026 Information: Investigative science journalism plays an increasingly vital role in shaping the science–society relationship. Science fraud and misconduct—such as hype, plagiarism, data manipulation, conflicts of interest, and other ethical breaches—are becoming more common, due to the infiltration of vested commercial and political interests, personal motives, work pressures, and other issues that compromise the integrity of the scholarly record. The number of publication retractions has skyrocketed in recent years. Journalists, as key brokers of research knowledge, can help raise awareness of these problematic aspects of science and ensure public audiences have the information needed to make decisions and form opinions based on trustworthy evidence. But the enaction of this watchdog role among science journalists remains the exception rather than the norm, and scholarly research into it is a rarity. This thematic issue invites scholars to consider theories, practices, and implications of watchdog science journalism—broadly understood here as journalism that investigates, exposes, and warns society of the misuses and abuses of science methods, processes, outcomes, and authority by those practicing, funding, and/or using science in the public domain (e.g., scientists, government, businesses). It welcomes contributions on the pros and cons, theoretical or practical, of investigative science journalism and how it might impact public understanding, attitudes, and actions regarding science events and issues. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, issues around the following broad questions: * How is watchdog science journalism distinguished from the more commonly promoted practice of “critical science journalism”? * How do journalists conceptualize their role as science watchdogs, and to what extent is this role performed? * What motivates journalists to act, or not to act, as watchdogs of science and its stakeholders? * What techniques and strategies do journalists employ to shed light on the dark sides of science? * What factors facilitate or hinder science journalists’ ability to perform a watchdog role? * How does the science establishment (e.g., scientists and their institutions, science policy makers) respond to watchdog science journalism? * How do publics perceive, receive, and approve/disapprove of watchdog science journalism? * How have the above conceptions, performances, or impacts of the science watchdog role evolved in history? * How do the above compare across geographic, cultural, or institutional contexts? * What potential conceptual frameworks can be used to study journalism as a science watchdog? — Alice Fleerackers (she/her) Assistant Professor of Journalism and Civic Engagement, Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam Vice President, PCST Network alicefleerackers.com

1 0