*CFP* "DESINFORMATION STUDIES: PERSPECTIVES TO AN EMERGING RESEARCH FIELD", ECREA 2020 PRE-CONFERENCE

Disinformation studies: perspectives to an emerging research field

ECREA 2020 pre-conference

2 October 2020

University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

The aim proposed for this ECREA 2020 pre-conference is to promote research that helps to define policies and strategies contributing to combat and effectively minimize the phenomena of disinformation and manipulation in the journalistic field. Thus, we intend to join together researchers who are interested in the topic, to develop this field of disinformation studies.

The main goal of the event is to develop a set of studies and policies that allow us to identify and contribute to combat and effectively minimize the phenomena of misinformation and manipulation in the journalistic field.

In addition to Fake news, the study of disinformation in the journalistic field includes theoretical paradigms and empirical approaches that go beyond those: bias, concealment of facts, agenda building, strategic use of sources, mobilization of emotion, empathic media and omission of data are studied in other contexts of journalism studies helping to clarify this new phenomenon.

There is a vast experience in the media effects theory, whose researchers studied, in due course, a set of phenomena of information and manipulation that today, with the necessary adaptations, constitute a corpus of examples and inspiration for new researches in different contexts.

Finally, new research trends began to emerge which constitute a valuable theoretical and experimental corpus for the contemporary and present times: empathic media, recognition of patterns of reading, identification of behavior and consumption patterns with far-reaching consequences around on social, cultural and political life and considerable impact on democratic, electoral and civic participation practices.

The contributions to the event should focus (among others) the following topics:

• Identifying through case studies, examples of media whether revealing weaknesses or, instead, using strategies particularly directed to fight the phenomenon;
• Discussing new manipulation and disinformation strategies, considering in those the study of the audience from the perspective of their manipulation through the mobilization of emotions;
• Discussing a theoretical and systematic framework for the analysis of disinformation and manipulation phenomena; 
• Identifying the use of devices and tools that help to combat the phenomenon of disinformation;
• Identifying professional practices and professional routines that help to combat the disinformation phenomena;
• Identifying and proposing public policies to decision-makers that helps to minimize and fighting disinformation phenomena;
• Discussing  the relevance  of a subfield called Disinformation studies.

Abstracts of 400 words with 3 -5 keywords (excluding tables, figures, and references) must be written in English and should outline the research topic as well as the theoretical and methodological approach. Pictures/tables/charts are allowed within the abstract but do not count against the word count. All abstracts will be subject to a double-blind peer review.

Submit your abstract as an e-mail attachment with no references to the author(s). Author(s) details (name, affiliation and contact details) must be included in the e-mail message. Submit to jcorreia@ubi.pt, pj@ubi.pt and ines.amaral@uc.pt.

Fees practical information

There will be a small fee to cover attendance and refreshments at the pre-conference:

30€ for Non-Ecrea members

25€ for ECREA members

20€ for Ph.D. students.

Call for papers deadline: 30 April 2020

Notificiation: 1 June 2020