*Call for papers: Fifth Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics* Also available at https://cristianvaccari.com/2019/03/11/call-for-papers-fifth-conference-of-t... September 16-17, 2019, the Centre for Research in Communication and Culture at Loughborough University (United Kingdom) will host the fifth conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics, focused on academic research on the relation between media and political processes around the world. Professor Stuart Soroka from the University of Michigan will deliver a keynote lecture. A selection of the best full papers presented at the conference will be published in the journal after peer review. The deadline for submission of abstracts is May 10, 2019. Attendees will be notified of acceptance by June 7, 2019. Full papers based on accepted abstracts will be due September 2, 2019. The conference brings together scholars conducting internationally-oriented or comparative research on the intersection between news media and politics around the world. It aims to provide a forum for academics from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and methodological approaches to advance research in this area. Examples of relevant topics include the political implications of current changes in media systems, including the increasing role of digital platforms; the importance of digital media for engaging with news and politics; analysis of the factors affecting the quality of political information and public discourse; studies of the role of entertainment and popular culture in how people engage with current affairs; studies of relations between political actors and journalists; analyses of the role of visuals and emotion in the production and processing of public information; and research on political communication during and beyond elections by government, political parties, interest groups, and social movements. The journal and the conference have a particular interest in studies that adopt comparative approaches, represent substantial theoretical or methodological advances, or focus on parts of the world that are under-researched in the international English language academic literature. Titles and abstracts for papers (maximum 300 words) are invited by May 10, 2019. The abstract should clearly describe the key question, the theoretical and methodological approach, the evidence the argument is based on, as well as its wider implications and the extent to which they are of international relevance. Please send submissions via the online form available at http://bit.ly/IJPP2019. The conference is organized by Cristian Vaccari (Loughborough University, Editor-in-Chief of IJPP). Please contact Dr Vaccari with questions at c.vaccari@lboro.ac.uk. More about the journal, the keynote speaker, the University, and the Centre: The International Journal of Press/Politics ( https://journals.sagepub.com/home/hijb) IJPP is an interdisciplinary journal for the analysis and discussion of the role of the media and politics in a globalized world. The journal publishes theoretical and empirical research which analyzes the linkages between the news media and political processes and actors around the world, emphasizes international and comparative work, and links research in the fields of political communication and journalism studies, and the disciplines of political science and media and communication. The journal is ranked 4th by Scopus (SJR) and 12th by Journal Citation Reports in Communication. Professor Stuart Soroka, University of Michigan (http://www.snsoroka.com/) Stuart Soroka is the Michael W. Traugott Collegiate Professor of Communication Studies and Political Science, and Faculty Associate in the Center for Political Studies at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. His research focuses on political communication, the sources and/or structure of public preferences for policy, and the relationships between public policy, public opinion, and mass media. His most recent book is Negativity in Democratic Politics: Causes and Consequences (2014, Cambridge University Press). Soroka is currently collaborating on a project focused on cross-national psychophysiological reactions to news content, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; and a large-scale content-analytic project on media coverage of US public policy, funded by the National Science Foundation. Loughborough University (https://www.lboro.ac.uk/internal/) Based on a 440-acre, single-site campus at the heart of the UK, Loughborough University is ranked top 10 in every British university league table. Voted University of the Year (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019) and awarded Gold in the National Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), Loughborough provides a unique student experience that is ranked first in the UK by the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018. Loughborough University has excellent transport links to the rest of the UK. It is a short distance away from Loughborough Train station, a 15-minute drive from East Midlands Airport (near Nottingham), an hour drive from Birmingham Airport, and an hour and 15 minutes from London via train. The Centre for Research in Communication and Culture ( https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/crcc/) Since our establishment in 1991, we have developed into the largest research centre of our kind in the UK. We are an interdisciplinary centre, crossing over social science and humanities disciplines to draw on theories and methods in social psychology, sociology, politics, history and geography. Renowned for the breadth of our research, we range across interpersonal and small-group communication, social media, political communication, media education, mainstream communications—including digital and online and the analysis of communicative work, such as political campaigning, popular music and memory. Our core research themes are all regarded as world-leading by our peers. We use a diversity of methods for data gathering and analysis and work with a variety of partners, including the BBC, the police, NSPCC and the Electoral Commission as well as our international collaborators, to deliver fundamental and applied research of exceptional quality. Cristian Vaccari Reader in Political Communication, Loughborough University <http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/socialsciences/staff/cristian-vaccari/> Associate Professor in Political Science, University of Bologna <http://www.unibo.it/SitoWebDocente/default.htm?UPN=cristian.vaccari%40unibo.it> (on leave) Personal website: https://cristianvaccari.com/ Editor-in-Chief: International Journal of Press/Politics <http://hij.sagepub.com/> Call for papers: Fifth Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics <https://cristianvaccari.com/2019/03/11/call-for-papers-fifth-conference-of-the-international-journal-of-press-politics/>, deadline May 10 <https://twitter.com/25lettori> Research project: Social media and politics in comparative perspective <http://www.webpoleu.net/> Latest book: Digital Politics in Western Democracies: A Comparative Study <http://jhupbooks.press.jhu.edu/ecom/MasterServlet/GetItemDetailsHandler?iN=9781421411170&qty=1&source=2&viewMode=3&loggedIN=false&JavaScript=y> Google Scholar profile <http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3_TethEAAAAJ&hl=en> Twitter: @25lettori <https://twitter.com/25lettori>