CFP: MANCEPT Workshops 2023: Philosophy and Politics of Journalism, II

American journalist Helen Thomas once argued that the role of journalism in a democracy is truth-seeking. In a public sphere continuously populated by propaganda, fake news, and organized lying, this role may seem more important than ever. But which truths should journalism orient itself around making salient? What principles should guide the selection of news stories? What roles can journalism play in democracy, and what roles should it play, more generally, in social and political life? 

In its second year, the aim of this online workshop is to create a long-term community of scholars and journalists interested in the moral, political, and epistemological questions surrounding journalism and its practice. We welcome both theoretical contributions to the philosophy of journalism as well as analyses of the role of journalism in the history of philosophy and political thought.

In addition to the questions mentioned above, other topics include, but are not limited to:

·         What should count as (fake) news?

·         What are the rights and duties of journalists?

·         How can we distinguish between the uses and abuses of appeals to objectivity in journalism?

·         What are the benefits and pitfalls of professionalized journalism?

·         How can journalism best respond to organized lying?

·         What roles does journalism play in shaping narratives around political violence, criminality, and social protest?

·         How does journalism change our perception of the world? How does it shape our patterns of attention?

·         What are the social and political consequences of mass distraction?

·         What challenges and opportunities face journalists and journalism in the age of social media? 

Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words to [email protected] by June 19th.

Convenors: Susanna Siegel and Eraldo Souza dos Santos