Journalism and Politics in the Age of Misinformation - World Press Freedom Day at CEU
To mark the World Press Freedom Day in Budapest, the CEU’s Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) and the Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) at the CEU School of Public Policy with the support of the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at European University Institute (EUI) in Florence organize a debate, where scholars and practitioners from a variety of fields and disciplines will discuss and try to find solutions to the major problems that independent journalism and political communication are grappling with today.
14:30-16:30
Crises of independent journalism: political influence and how to deal with it
Presentation and panel discussion with media experts and journalists
Presentation: How pluralistic are media in Europe and Hungary today?
Findings of the Media Pluralism Monitor, a study funded by the European Commission that is designed to identify potential risks to media pluralism in Europe
Mario Viola de Azevedo Cunha, Researcher, Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at European University Institute
Amy Brouillette, CMDS Fellow, Center for Media, Data and Society at SPP
Attila Batorfy, CMDS Fellow, Center for Media, Data and Society at SPP
Panel discussion: Where is independent journalism headed?
Political influence in the media is not new. But in the past few years, political interference with media and pressures from powerful businesses on independent journalism have intensified. Who is out there still doing independent journalism? How much influence does journalism have in society and politics? How should media systems be reformed to create a better environment for independent journalism?
Panelists:
- Francesca Fanucci, Human Rights Lawyer, London
- Tamas Bodoky, Editor-in-chief, Atlatszo.hu
- Jody McPhillips, Regional Editor, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
- Dean Starkman, Visiting Professor, SPP at CEU & Resident Fellow, CMDS
Moderated by Eva Bognar, Senior Program Officer, Center for Media, Data and Society at SPP
We will provide simultaneous translation between English and Hungarian for the first session.
17:00-18:45
Crises of political communication: misleading public speech and how to deal with it
A panel discussion among scholars from politics, media studies, philosophy, and history, as well as former political practitioners
How much political misleading - not just outright lies but also spin, ‘post-truth’ speech, ‘alternative facts,’ fake news - is compatible with stable democracies? How serious are the threats we now face from various forms of untruth and truth-subversion in politics, including attacks on expertise and shared norms of political discourse? How should we respond to these dangers - and just as importantly, how should we avoid responding?
Panelists:
- Michael Ignatieff, President and Rector, CEU
- Andras Bozoki, Professor of Political Science, Dept. of Political Science, CEU
- Marius Dragomir, Director, Center for Media, Data and Society, School of Public Policy, CEU
- Maria Kronfeldner, Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy, CEU
- Simon Rippon, Associate Professor, Dept. of Philosophy and School of Public Policy, CEU
Moderated by Erica Benner, Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, CEU; Fellow in Political Philosophy, Dept. of Political Science, Yale University
