Call for Papers - Abstracts due 15th June 2020 Communicating the COVID-19 Pandemic - Special Issue of Global Media and China Guest Editor: Lars Willnat, Syracuse University, USA; Zixue Tai, University of Kentucky, USA Notification of Abstracts Acceptance: 20 July, 2020 Submission of Full Papers: 25 October, 2020 The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought profound challenges to the world community with ramifications that extend well beyond public health and individual well-being. But even while the coronavirus is affecting the lives of millions of people around the world, a number of theoretical and practical research questions have emerged in confronting this pandemic. Scholars have begun asking, for example, how to best convey information about the threat of this virus to the public, and what mechanisms might work best for contributing to public preparedness and inducing civilian action in combating the disease. China has been a pivotal player throughout the outbreak of COVID-19, from its handling of the deadly disease when it emerged in Wuhan in December 2019 to its subsequent role in collaborating with global nation-states in combatting the virus. However, COVID-19’s devastating effects in Europe and the United States demonstrate that no nation can fight this virus alone and that clear and rational communication about the mitigation of this global threat is vital. We call for papers that engage in quantitative or qualitative analyses examining the content, controversies, and consequences of this pandemic. Papers might address the topic of COVID-19 from a range of methodological and theoretical perspectives, including (but not limited to) content analyses, experiments, public opinion surveys, comparative studies, big data mining, and social media analyses. We particularly welcome contributions from scholars around the world who have completed studies based on one or more of the following topics or issues: · Communication of COVID-19 as a public health threat (information strategies, psychological issues, lockdown effects) · Journalistic issues related to COVID-19 (fake news, misinformation, disinformation, reporting of medical news, etc.) · Effects of COVID-19 on public opinion · Social media networks as venues and platforms for public debate of COVID-19 · Interplay of traditional mass media and social/emerging media in COVID-19 debate · Stigmatization, racialization/ethnicization, and xenophobia related to COVID-19 · Government-supported media and state control of information about COVID-19 · Media coverage and user narratives on etymology, cure, and spread of COVID-19 · Inter-cultural, cross-national comparative perspectives · The role of nation-states in communicating about COVID-19 · Social and emotional well-being related to COVID-19 · Patterns of news and/or information production and consumption related to COVID-19 · Folklores, rumors, conspiracy theories, alternative medicine · Role of nationalism or populism in mediated COVID-19 debate SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND REVIEW PROCESS The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 June, 2020. Abstracts should be not more than 1,000 words in length, detailing the purpose, methods, and main points of research. The abstracts should be submitted to Professor Lars Willnat by email at lwillnat@syr.edu <mailto:lwillnat@syr.edu>. Following peer-review, a selection of authors will be invited to submit a full paper in accordance with the journal’s ‘Instructions for Authors.’ Please note acceptance of the abstract does not guarantee publication, given that all papers will be put through the journal’s peer review process. Please refer to the full submission guidelines available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en- gb/asi/global-media-and-china/journal202494#submission-guidelines Dr HAN Xiao Research Assistant, Social Media Centre, Communication University of China (CUC) Commissioning Editor, Global Media and China http://journals.sagepub.com/home/gch