ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Portland, Oregon

Deadline: October 1, 2019

Apply nowJob no: 524127

Work type: Faculty - Tenure Track

Location: Portland, OR

Categories: Instruction, Journalism/Communication

Department: School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC)

Rank: Assistant Professor

Annual Basis: 9 Month

Application Deadline: To ensure consideration, please submit application materials (or nominations) by October 1, 2019. The position will remain open until filled.

Required Application Materials

Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest, CV, and the names of four (4) academic references. Applicants are encouraged to highlight their experience and philosophy with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment. We also welcome nominations.

We particularly welcome applications from scholars who are from populations historically underrepresented in the academy, and/or who have experience working with diverse populations.

For inquiries about the application process, please contact SOJC Operations at 541-346-3561. Specific inquiries about the position may also be directed to the search chair Regina Lawrence, Associate Dean, SOJC Portland at: rgl@uoregon.edu.

Position Announcement

The University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication invites applications for a tenure track position for an Assistant Professor in Immersive Media Psychology to begin in fall 2020.

We seek an individual whose research, expertise and skills in virtual/augmented/extended reality and media psychology will create innovative, interdisciplinary research exploring the cognitive implications of immersive technologies in the context of communication. This person's doctoral training may come from the fields of communications, psychology, information science, and/or human-computer interaction, with a research agenda focused on the uses, experiences, and the effects of immersive media. This person will be qualified to lead innovative, grant-funded research teams to advance theory and bridge knowledge and practice.

This individual will provide graduate students in our Media Studies PhD program with strong theoretical orientation on the role and impact of immersive media from a psychological perspective, and will also be prepared to offer courses that bridge academia and practice, teaching undergraduates and professional masters students techniques for immersive world-building and/or immersive story-telling grounded in an understanding of uses and psychological effects of the medium. We seek a scholar who can address enduring questions of human communication in the context of immersive media, who can help develop new curriculum that further positions the SOJC as a thought leader in immersive media, and whose expertise is also cognizant of emerging industry trends.

This position will be based at the University of Oregon's Portland campus and will take a leading role in supporting and shaping the Oregon Reality (OR) Lab. Faculty members at UO Portland gain unique research opportunities based on our "urban laboratory" environment and our proximity to a tremendous variety of technology and creative firms.

This person will teach up to three courses per year for graduate students in the Strategic Communication and Multimedia Journalism programs in Portland, along with at least one course per year in the undergraduate public relations sequence and/or graduate programs on the Eugene campus. Specific courses to be taught may include research methods for Strategic Communication and Public Relations; media theory; and special topics courses in immersive media for strategic communication and journalistic storytelling.

Candidates whose research programs focus on uses of immersive media with respect to marginalized communities and/or in multicultural contexts are especially encouraged to apply. We seek candidates who integrate technological skills with an ongoing program of research and who demonstrate excellence in teaching diverse students at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Department or Program Summary

The School of Journalism and Communication is an ACEJMC-accredited program with a century-long history at the University of Oregon, which is a comprehensive research university and a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU). Our program thrives as a journalism and communication school known for innovation, ethics, and action. We offer four undergraduate concentrations (in Advertising, Journalism, Media Studies, and Public Relations), four professional and academic master’s programs, and a doctoral program in Media Studies

Minimum Requirements

PhD in Communication, Psychology, Information Science, human-computer interaction, or a related field in hand by time of appointment; demonstrated potential for teaching and research excellence; and a record of scholarly accomplishments that include publication in high quality academic journals in communication, psychology and/or related fields.

Preferred Qualifications

Competitive applicants will have an established research profile, peer reviewed publications, external funding experience, and a proven record of teaching experience, along with skills and experience that bridge research and practice in the field of immersive media (VR/AR/XR and/or 360 degree video).

About the University

The University of Oregon is one of only two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities and holds the distinction of a “very high research activity” ranking in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO enrolls more than 20,000 undergraduate and 3,600 graduate students representing all 50 states and nearly 100 countries. The University of Oregon is guided by a diversity framework that involves a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion or all students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. In recent years, the university has increased the diversity of its student body while raising average GPAs and test scores for incoming students. The UO’s 295-acre campus features state-of-the art facilities in an arboretum setting within the traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people. The UO is located in Eugene, a vibrant city of 157,000 with a wide range of cultural and culinary offerings, a pleasant climate, and a community engaged in environmental and social concerns. The campus is within easy driving distance of the Pacific Coast, the Cascade Mountains, and Portland.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit http://hr.uoregon.edu/careers/about-benefits.

The University of Oregon is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the ADA. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply, and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please contact us at uocareers@uoregon.edu or 541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, Office of Civil Rights Compliance, or to the Office for Civil Rights. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed on the statement of non-discrimination.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon prepares an annual report on campus security and fire safety programs and services. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report is available online at http://police.uoregon.edu/annual-report.

Flow Volume 26 Special Issue

Deadline: August 26, 2019

The summer of 2019 has seen a variety of news reports and stories  announcing and celebrating the accomplishments of diversity,  inclusivity, and socio-political progress across the entertainment  industries. Examples include Ali Stroker’s monumental win at the Tony  Awards (as the first wheelchair user to win an award); the casting of  Halle Bailey in Disney’s live-adaptation of The Little Mermaid; Marvel  Studios’ casting of Simu Liu, Salma Hayek, and Mahershala Ali in lead  roles as well as the hiring of non-white and non-male directors for  Phase 4 projects; the announcement that the 007 role in the James Bond  franchise will now be played by Black woman, Lashana Lynch; the  development and production of a queer-centered superhero television  series in the upcoming Batwoman on The CW; and the critically-acclaimed  and fan-lauded careers of musicians like Lil Nas X and Lizzo taking  center stage in the music industry. 

This inaugural issue of Flow’s twenty-sixth volume, “New Faces, New  Voices, New Bodies: Current Thoughts on Media Representations,” asks  cultural and media scholars to consider these recent developments from  historical, industrial, political, economic, cultural, and national lenses. Arguably, this phenomenon has occurred before (to name a few,  the ‘70s with Blaxploitation, socially “relevant” TV programming, and  the popular embrace of funk and soul; the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with  Hollywood’s New Black Wave, the flood of Black sitcoms on network  television, and the mainstream success of hip-hop and rap; and the late  ‘90s and early ‘00s with the rise of Latinx stars in pop music,  “multiculti” ensemble casts, and the appearance of LGBTQ characters  in  primetime). This special issue seeks to understand: What is new about  this moment? How can we discuss these developments without losing sight  of the economic motives of conglomerates? How can we define and discuss  this current wave of diversity, inclusivity, and progressive action in  the industries? And to what extent are these industry strategies of  diversity and inclusivity sustainable?

Possible topics include, but are  by no means limited to: 

• LGBTQ identities in contemporary fiction and non-fiction media 
• Effects of trailblazing texts and figures on the media industry 
• Discourses of authenticity, sincerity, progress, and pandering 
• Late-night television, political comedy, and the Trump administration 
• Cultural and political responses to casting and production  announcements 
• Genre-specific examinations of identity and representation 
• Comparative analyses of historical precedents and contemporary  resurgences 
• Conglomeration, technology, and regulation as pressure points for  diversity and inclusivity, particularly in corporate diversity  initiatives and campaigns 
• Global perspectives of identity and representation 

To be considered for this timely issue, please submit a completed short  essay of 1200-1500 words, along with at least three images (.png),  video, and/or new media files (GIFs, etc.), and a short bio, to Rusty  Hatchell and Selena Dickey at flowjournaleditors@gmail.com  by Monday, August 26th, 2019. The Special 

Issue will be published at flowjournal.org  on Monday, September 16th, 2019. 

November 18, 2019

Doha, Qatar

Deadline:  September 5, 2019 (23:59 PM Pacific Standard Time)

Workshop website here.

Co-located with Social Informatics 2019, November 18-21, Doha, Qatar.

In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of social media, which have enabled people to virtually share information with a large number of users with little-to-no regulation or quality control. On the one hand, this has enabled anyone with a computer and internet access to rapidly create and disseminate content. On the other hand, it has also opened the door for malicious users, including automated bots, to rapidly spread disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda, which can now reach audiences at an unprecedented scale. This has resulted in the proliferation of false information that is typically created either (a) to attract network traffic in order to secure financial gain through advertising revenue (e.g. clickbait), or (b) to affect individual people's beliefs - something that can ultimately lead to influencing major events such as political elections or views on public health. There are strong indications that false information was weaponized at an unprecedented scale during the 2016 U.S. and the 2018 Brazilian presidential campaigns, among many others. The workshop aims to bring together researchers from both academia and industry to discuss bias, disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in online news and in social media.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Bias
• Bots
• Check-worthiness
• Claim extraction
• Claim source detection
• Clickbait
• Deep fakes
• Disinformation
• Echo chambers
• Fact-checking
• Fake reviews
• Harassment/bullying
• Hate speech
• Hyper-partisanship
• Misinformation
• Offensive language
• Polarization
• Propaganda identification/analysis
• Seminar users
• Source reliability
• Stance detection
• Supporting evidence retrieval
• Trolls
• Trust
• Truth

Submission Format

We kindly ask you to submit abstracts addressing one of the topics above from the perspective of use cases, tools, resources, and preliminary experimental results.

Abstracts should be in Socinfo format (see here), 1-2 pages long. Abstracts will be reviewed by the workshop organizers and the authors of selected abstracts will be assigned a time slot for a short presentation (15 minutes each) to present their ideas. Selected abstracts will be made available on this website.

Send your submission to socinfo-bias-workshop@googlegroups.com.

Workshop Organisers:

• Giovanni da San Martino (Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University)
• Preslav Nakov (Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University)
• Alberto Barrón-Cedeño (Università di Bologna)
• Jisun An (Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University)
• Haewoon Kwak (Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University)
• Banu Akdenizli (Northwestern University, Qatar)
• Marc O. Jones (Hamad Bin Khalifa University)
• Grant Franklin Totten (Aljazeera)

June 3-5, 2020

Braunschweig, Germany

Deadline: September 30, 2019

GEI Annual Conference 2020

Organizer: Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Member of the Leibniz Association (GEI)

Trust is a basic condition – or more precisely an underlying condition – of human coexistence and yet one of its defining characteristics is that it usually remains implicit or latent, as something apparently taken for granted. As soon as trust is explicitly addressed in institutional contexts or in interpersonal relationships, the suspicion may arise that trust itself is lacking.

In today’s modern society, frequently described as a (digital) knowledge and information society, trust seems to be both an indispensable requirement and a fundamental challenge. This is manifest in the prevalence of buzzwords such as ‘fake news’ or ‘fake science’ in current social debates on the undermining of trust in politics, (social) mass media, science, academia and economics as well as in institutions and organisations. On another level, beyond this primarily content-related dimension, trust is also becoming increasingly socially significant in terms of technical and digital infrastructure.

The GEI’s annual conference, ‘In Education We TRUST?’ takes up a relatively new debate within educational research. Different (trans-)disciplinary perspectives on the manifold dimensions of trust within school education and educational media will be brought together in order to illuminate, in fresh contexts, the varying significance and potentially conflicting assessments of trust – such as, for example, ‘necessary trust’ or ‘blind trust’ – as well as its perceived contingency or absence.

We welcome papers on the conference theme that focus particularly on the following topics:

1. Trust in schools and educational media for schools as state-approved examples of socialisation and knowledge transfer. This refers to the central institutions of school education as well as the actions and experiences of agents and subjects.

2. Trust in knowledge disseminated through school education and educational media. This questions trust as a discursive resource for self-assurance and self-assertion (also in relation to others or to external agency) – whether related to knowledge accepted as having a scientific basis, implicitly accepted and socialised conventions, and traditional world views or in the sense of convictions justified by religious belief or ideology.

3. Trust in the context of the appropriation or reception of education in schools and educational media. In addition to addressing the different ways in which school knowledge is appropriated, papers on this topic should explore the diverse processes of knowledge authorisation, legitimisation and delegitimisation, relating to the competing agents and media forms used in the dissemination of knowledge and acquisition of information.

4. Trust in the control, evaluation and quality assurance of the education process and educational media. The challenges presented by (post-)digitality and datafication in schools are a key element of this.

5. Trust in research, its processes and findings. This refers to the infrastructures used in research and the data obtained, the validity of findings and of their publication and dissemination.

Papers addressing the general theme of the conference are, of course, also welcome.

The conference will employ a range of formats: from ignite presentations to interactive discussion formats. Preferred formats may be suggested in the submitted abstract.

In order for us to select contributors we request that an abstract (max. 2,000 characters, including bibliography) and CV (max. 1 page) is sent no later than 30 September 2019 to trust@leibniz-gei.de. The final decision on contributors will be made by the end of November 2019.

The conference will take place in Braunschweig, Germany from 3 to 5 June 2020. Conference languages will be German and English. Speakers’ travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the Georg Eckert Institute.

To enable in-depth discussions of the topics and to facilitate the publication of the conference papers in an edited volume in the GEI’s peer-reviewed book series Schriftenreihe, we request that all accepted contributors submit a full article (of between 44,000 and 68,000 characters) by 31 March 2020.

If you have any further questions please contact Dr Marcus Otto (otto@leibniz-gei.de).

The University of Zurich

Deadline: October 2, 2019

The position should be filled at the earliest opportunity. After two temporary three-year contracts the position will become tenured on the condition that the candidate passes the evaluation process. Applicants should distinguish themselves through excellent research on strategic communication and/or media management. Strategic communication means controlled communication to internal and external stakeholders and target audiences of an organization. The desired focus is on the communicator and content side (i.e. on strategies of advertising, public relations, marketing and campaign communication in the digital environment), potentially with references to effects. Media management uses precise knowledge of media markets and media consumers to make strategic decisions about designing and marketing media products and other communications offerings to meet the needs of their target audiences and the goals of the organization.

Applications from candidates whose previous work focused only on one of the two fields mentioned above are also explicitly welcome. Expertise in strategic communication is an advantage. In the medium term, the professorship should cover both fields. Applicants are therefore asked to submit a development plan of at least two pages in which they explain how they would like to shape the content of the two fields in research and teaching. All applicants should be familiar with the subject of Communication Studies and Media Research in its breadth; they are expected to participate in teaching introductory Bachelor's and Master's classes as well as methods classes. Special attention will be paid to relevant methodological skills for strengthening the socialscientific, empirical-analytical profile of the discipline at the University of Zurich.

Candidates should hold a PhD degree at the time of application and have an excellent record of academic achievements in the relevant field. Teaching may initially be carried out in English. Non-German speaking candidates are expected to acquire a working knowledge of German within the first three years of appointment. The University of Zurich is an equal opportunities employer and in particular strives to increase the percentage of women in leading positions. Therefore, qualified female researchers are encouraged to apply.

The closing date for applications is October 2, 2019. Details on the application procedure are available on http://www.phil.uzh.ch/jobs.html.

For further information, please contact Professor Mark Eisenegger at m.eisenegger@ikmz.uzh.ch. 

Tobias Eberwein, Susanne Fengler, Matthias Karmasin

Bringing together both leading international scholars and emerging academic talent, Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics maps the current state of media accountability in Europe and provides fresh perspectives for future developments in media and communication fields.

As the integrity of the international media landscape is challenged by far-reaching transformations and the rise of “fake news,” the need for a functional system of media regulation is greater than ever. This book addresses the pressing need to re-evaluate and redefine the notion of accountability in the fast-changing field of journalism and “information provision.” Using comparative research and empirical data, the book’s case studies address the notion of media accountability from various perspectives, considering political and societal change, economic, organisational and technological factors, and the changing role of media audiences. By collecting and juxtaposing these studies, the book provides a new discussion for the old question of how we can safeguard free and responsible media in Europe – a question that seems more urgent than ever.

Media Accountability in the Era of Post-Truth Politics is an essential read for students and researchers in journalism, media and communication studies.

ECREA members can get 20% off and free shipping - more info can be found on ECREA intranet.

Purchase here.

University of Tartu

Deadline: September 16, 2019

ORGANISATION/COMPANY: University of Tartu

RESEARCH FIELD:

• Cultural studies
• Geography › Economic geography
• History › Economic history
• Sociology › Macrosociology

RESEARCHER PROFILE: Recognised Researcher (R2)

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 16/09/2019 23:00 - Europe/Athens

LOCATION: Estonia › Tartu

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Temporary

JOB STATUS: Full-time

HOURS PER WEEK: 40

OFFER STARTING DATE: 01/11/2019

Measuring Industrial Modernity (1900-2018)

A research group in a University of Tartu, Estonia, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join us in studying the evolution of industrial modernity. The project is based on the Deep Transitions framework (Schot & Kanger, 2018; Kanger & Schot, 2018) that aims to conceptualize the 250-year developmental trajectory of industrial societies through the co-evolution of socio-technical systems. The key questions our team seeks to answer are as follows: 1) What are the foundational features of industrial modernity, characterizing almost every industrial society to date, that have shaped its evolution? 2) Do we see some significant ruptures along these dimensions in recent decades?

The candidate will be a part of the team tasked with measuring long-term trends in the historical evolution of industrial societies along multiple dimensions (ideas, institutions, and practices) and on multiple scales (national, global). The project seeks to combine data from existing databases with analysis of digitized text corpora. Therefore, we are looking for a candidate with 1) competence in data analysis skills applicable to the analysis of large historical text collections; 2) methodological creativity in finding ways to utilize text corpora for tracking long-term societal trends.

The research group is highly interdisciplinary, involving (among others) experts from sustainability transitions studies, digital humanities, history and environmental sociology. As such applicants from diverse backgrounds are welcome to apply.

The position is funded by the Estonian Science Council and is part of the project “Reshaping Estonian energy, mobility and telecommunications systems on the verge of the Second Deep Transition”. 

The researcher is expected to engage in the following tasks, some of which involve close collaboration with other team members:

• Operationalizing the features of industrial modernity in order to track them in historical data
• Extracting text corpora from public sources, organizing and storing them
• Cleaning and processing historical OCR texts and preparing them for analysis
• Assisting in designing and formulating collaborative procedures and workflows to study the representations of industrial modernity in historical texts utilizing the interdisciplinary domain expertise in the group
• Conducting data analysis and text mining on historical corpora through various techniques, interpreting and integrating the results
• Representing the findings in thematic conferences and participating in the write-up of the results for journal submission.

See also the general job requierements for the University of Tartu (Research Fellow, pages 6 and Annex 8, page 20).

Benefits

By offering a comprehensive and multi-dimensional assessment of the evolution of industrial modernity the results of the project will be of interest to multiple research communities (e.g. sustainability transitions studies, sustainability science, sociology, cultural evolution). Therefore, the successful applicant will have the possibility to engage in cutting-edge research on the long-term dynamics of industrial societies, enabling to build a substantive skill and publication portfolio boosting further career development. The project also foresees annual funding for participation in international conferences. The research team at the University of Tartu provides a vibrant and supportive work atmosphere.

Selection process

In order to be considered for the position, the candidate must submit to the UT Human Resources Office (email: personal@ut.ee) following documents (in English, pdf format)):

• a letter of application to the Rector,
• academic CV, including a list of publications (including both accepted and under review)
• a copy of a document (including its annexes) which shows the candidate to hold the required qualification (authorized translation into Estonian, English or Russian if the credential is not in one of these languages). A candidate can be required to submit the original or a certified copy of the document (including its annexes) showing the candidate to hold the required qualification. If the candidate has acquired the higher education in question abroad, he or she may be required to submit an assessment issued by the Academic Recognition Information Centre (the Estonian ENIC/NARIC) of his or her qualification in respect of the qualification requirements for the position;
• Contact information of at least two references
• a 2-3 page research statement on past research and future research interests, including the envisioned contribution to the project.

Candidates will be contacted after September 16 and Skype interviews will be conducted. Final selection will be made by October 10 and work is envisioned to start from Nov 1, 2019.

Additional comments

The successful applicant will be employed by the University of Tartu which has been ranked as the top university in New Europe (Times Higher Education New Europe Ranking 2018). The Institute of Social Studies is an interdisciplinary research and teaching unit comprising areas from sociology to information science and communication studies. For additional information about the university see https://www.ut.ee/en/welcome.

Required Research Experiences

RESEARCH FIELD: Sociology › Macrosociology

YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: 4 - 10

RESEARCH FIELD: Cultural studies

YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: 4 - 10

RESEARCH FIELD: History › Economic history

YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: 4 - 10

RESEARCH FIELD: Geography › Economic geography

YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: 4 - 10

Offer Requirements

REQUIRED LANGUAGES

ENGLISH: Excellent

Skills/Qualifications

Essential

Experience in at least two of the following areas:

• Gathering and maintaining large digital corpora for text mining
• Applying NLP on historical OCR texts
• Keyword extraction, topic modeling, sentiment analysis
• Automatic content extraction and text classification
• Time series analysis of large text collections
• Cultural analytic studies based on large text collection

In addition:

• Readiness to learn new techniques as needed
• Excellent oral and written proficiency in English
• Independent, creative and critical thinking, capability to cope with uncertainty.

Desirable but not essential

• Prior experience in studying long-term trends with quantitative tools
• Disciplinary background in fields that have engaged in long-term and macro-level research (e.g. cultural evolution, digital humanities, historical macro-sociology, economic history, economic geography, computational history)
• Disciplinary background in fields that have focused on the study of technology and society (e.g. history of science and technology, Science and Technology Studies, media and communication studies, innovation studies)
• Working knowledge in sustainability transitions and long wave literature.

Deadline: October 25, 2019

Editors: Sara Bannerman (McMaster University) and James Meese (University of Technology Sydney)

In January 2018, Facebook declared that it would no longer prioritise news content in its NewsFeed. Instead, it would surface posts from ‘friends and family’, with the goal of bringing ‘people closer together’ (Mosseri, 2018). Facebook had stopped promoting particular forms of news before (like clickbait headlines) but they had always retained a broad commitment to distributing news content. However, the change in 2018 represented a major pivot for a platform that had increasingly become a central intermediary for online news distribution. In response, digital-first publications, who had staked their business model on Facebook’s ability to surface news to audiences, started to lay off staff in significant numbers. These new disruptive news enterprises (like Buzzfeed and Mic) were supposed to usher in a new future for news. However, it appeared that their business models were as unstable as those of their print predecessors.

These recent developments have not gone unnoticed by governments. Policymakers and politicians across the world are starting to examine the role that platforms and algorithms play in the distribution of news. Inquiries in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and elsewhere have explored the consequences of the algorithmic distribution of news.

Alongside these national inquiries, a broader international discussion has focused on the apparent rise in disinformation and the increasingly partisan nature of political discourse. This discussion has intensified recently, leading to the formation of an International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy and Democracy composed of elected officials from governments around the world.

This edited collection will respond to this international policy moment and examine the challenges posed by the algorithmic distribution of news. It will critically assess recent media policy developments in this space and explore the broader economic, political and industrial transformations associated with algorithmic distribution. In doing so, we aim to offer a comprehensive account of this moment of institutional change, which has significantly altered the distribution and consumption of news (see Nielsen 2018).

The book will be split into two sections. The first section will consist of thematic chapters (5 - 6,000 words) and the second section will feature shorter case studies (3 - 4,000 words) describing and analysing recent policy developments related to algorithmic distribution in particular countries. We are currently in discussions with interested publishers and seeking contributions for both sections.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• International governance of the algorithmic distribution of news, including the formation and operation of the International Grand Committee;
• Measures to support media diversity in light of algorithmic distribution, including measures to support local, Indigenous, alternative, independent, ethnic, women’s and minority news media;
• Case studies of countries (for section two): how have particular countries approached regulatory problems in light of the algorithmic distribution of news?
• Subsidies and tax exemptions that respond to the algorithmic distribution of news;
• Discussions of regulations intended to ensure the objectivity and/or transparency of search and recommendation algorithms;
• Regulatory measures that respond to layoffs and closures of news outlets;
• Intersections between copyright law and news aggregation (such as the EU’s Article 11, the ‘Google News tax;’
• The relationship between news, platforms, and competition law;
• Regulation of targeted advertising in relation to news;
• Histories of early forays into online (or social) news distribution;
• Analyses of innovative forms of news distribution;
• Civic risks associated with algorithmic distribution (or online engagement)
• Detailed analyses of relevant inquiries or reform proposals.

If you are interested in contributing to either section, please send a short chapter or case study proposal (of about 400 words) and a biography (150 words) by the 25th of October 2019 to james.meese@uts.edu.au and banners@mcmaster.ca.

October 25, 2019

University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Deadline: September 20, 2019

From fake news to the deepfake, the digital era’sexpanded possibilities for fabrication and falsehood are bedevilling the fourth estate as its parameters expand to include a host of new and often concealed sources, spreading via manipulable social media algorithms.

Media scholars have called on us all to reject the pejorative term “fake,” which is used to conduct mistrust and accusations toward institutions that we have traditionally relied upon to shine a light on powerful interests. However, we are at the same time being ushered into a more generalised media-critical thought, as unreliable reportage proliferates in many of the places we turn to for trustworthy information. How do we balance acknowledgement of media fakery with our need for reasonable information that we can trust?

This one-day symposium aims to address some of the more urgent philosophical issues arising in an era marked by proliferating resources for media fakery.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

* fake news

* the deepfake

* post-truth politics

* public trust in journalism and politics

* social media and journalism

* Facebook and Twitter bots

* emotions, cognitive biases and media psychology

* satirical news websites

* hoaxes and literary fraud

* identity theft, catfishing and online identities

* “truthiness,” pseudoscience and pseudo-communications

* astroturfing and front organisations

* advertorial

* public relations and propaganda

* authenticity

* data mining and targeted content

* algorithmic aggregators and generators of news

Confirmed keynote speaker: Professor Terry Flew, Queensland University of Technology

Please send the following to the symposium organisers Drs Filippo Gilardi (Filippo.gilardi@nottingham.edu.cn), Celia Lam (celia.lam@nottingham.edu.cn) and Wyatt Moss-Wellington (wyatt.moss-wellington@nottingham.edu.cn) by Friday 20 September 2019.

• 250 word abstract
• 50-100 word biography
• Contact email address

Successful abstracts will be considered for inclusion in a Special Issue proposal to be submitted to /C//ontinuum Journal of Media and Cultural Studies/(TBC)

Key dates:

• Abstract submission: 20 September 2019
• Notifications: 30 September 2019
• Registrations open: 15 October 2019
• Submission of extended abstracts: 30 November 2019
• Submission to Continuum: Early/mid 2020

Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Geography, Media and Communication

Deadline: August 18, 2019

The successful candidate will primarily teach subject courses, courses on study programmes, as well as commissioned courses, if applicable. The position includes teaching, supervision, examination, course coordination and course development, as well as active participation in the development work done at the discipline and department in the areas of teaching and community cooperation. According to the working hours agreement, senior lecturers are allotted 20% for professional development, which may be used for research and may be extended through external funding.

Why choose Karlstad University?

Karlstad University is forward-looking, and this is evident in everything we do. We always provide space for ideas and enthusiasm. Our high-regarded teaching and research are characterised by close community cooperation. The university is international and here you will meet staff, students and guests from around the world. The university is engaged in systematically promoting socially, financially and environmentally sustainable development. A position at Karlstad University offers many benefits, such as lunch training at the on-campus gym. For further information, see https://www.kau.se/en/work-us/jobb/benefits. If you want to work in a young and exciting university environment, Karlstad University is ideal!

Qualification requirements

The eligibility requirement for appointment as senior lecturer is a doctorate in Media and Communication Studies or a related area applicable to the advertised position, and documented teaching expertise. A completed course in higher education pedagogy, or an equivalent qualification, is required for appointment as senior lecturer. Under special circumstances, this course may be completed within two years of employment as part of the professional development commitment.

Assessment criteria

Special weight is given to broad and specialised knowledge as well as documented teaching experience of Media and Communication Studies. The successful applicant is expected to teach and supervise on many different course at bachelor and master levels. Special weight is further given to theoretical and practical knowledge of computer-assisted digital analysis of media contents and use. Special weight is also given to good ability to cooperate, since many duties are performed in different teams.

Considerable weight is given to a research profile related to the area digital media and analysis or related areas such as information systems, digital humanities, or science and technology studies, as well as ability to teach on digital cultures, social media and web production. Considerable weight is further given to experience of independently using qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as knowledge of and playing a role in current methodological developments in the areas of data collection and analysis in digital environments (e.g. automated content analysis, data visualisation, network analysis and digital ethnography).

Considerable weight is also given to teaching expertise and experience of participation in pedagogical development work. Since teaching is offered in Swedish and English, considerable weight is also given to good written and spoken skills as well as teaching experience in these languages.

Considerable weight is further given to experience of successfully applying for external research funding as well as participation in national and international networks.

Weight is given to the ability to work independently and take own initiative.

Weight is further given to:

• experience of development and leadership
• teaching experience at master and bachelor levels
• international experience
• experience of course development and web-based teaching
• experience of community cooperation.

If applicants have similar qualifications, those who can teach in Swedish will be ranker higher.

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, non-fixed-term position with starting date at the earliest convenience, as per agreement. A probationary period may be required.

Application

Applications are submitted via Karlstad University’s web-based recruitment system Varbi and should include:

* documented CV with the contact details of two references

* descriptive account of teaching and research experience

* certificate of course in higher education pedagogy, or account of equivalent qualification

* account of other experience, and experience of leadership, cooperation and administration

* future research and teaching plans

* list of publications (indicate your own role in cases of co-authorship)

* copies of degree certificates and other transcripts and certificates documenting qualifications

* a maximum of ten academic publications, as well as five works designed to convey knowledge, such as textbooks, educational software or popular science articles.

All documents and publications should be attached to the electronic application (do not provide links only). More information is available in the document “Application Guidelines” on our homepage (https://www.kau.se/en/about-university/working-karlstad-university/work-here/jobs-and-vacancies) where Karlstad University’s Regulations for the Appointment and Promotion of Teaching Staff also may be found.

Three copies of each document that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books and publications, should be sent to:

Karlstads universitet, Registrator, 651 88 KARLSTAD, Sweden.

State ref. no REK2019/151

Application deadline: 18 August 2019

We look forward to receiving your application.

Further information: https://kau.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:276357