Invitation to participate in a symposium on the
** Online Reporting of the 2010 UK Election **
Organised by the Centre for Journalism and Communication Research
The Media School, Bournemouth University
Friday 25th June, 2010
This symposium will be an opportunity to discuss and reflect upon the role of online news reporting during the May 2010 UK General Election. It will provide a forum for academics, researchers, journalists and bloggers to discuss emerging and established forms and practices of online election news. We aim to provide a lively discussion forum evolving around pertinent issues arising from the election campaign and aftermath.
You are invited to express interest in contributing your reflections (5-10 minutes each) or early findings from relevant research. Please submit expressions of interest to attend or contribute as a speaker (indicating your topic) by 4th June to Einar Thorsen at [log in to unmask] or online via http://j.mp/cVckrF
** Discussion points **
Below is an indicative list of questions that could be addressed by the symposium, though you are welcome to suggest and contribute on other relevant topics.
- To what extent did online journalism live up to expectations?
- How did online reporting compare to rival print and broadcasting journalism?
- What role did citizen journalism have in the media landscape during the election?
- How have Twitter and Facebook changed the way in which journalists connect with their audiences?
- To what extent did journalists use social media, blogs and user-generated content as a source of election news?
- What were the strengths and limitations of live blogging?
- How did the speed, depth and immediacy of online news impact on the campaign?
- To what extent did news organisations succeed in facilitating public debates and comments?
- How did online journalism help inform the electorate?
** Schedule **
The symposium will take place 25th June in the city centre at The Executive Business Centre, Bournemouth University, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB.
The event is free and open to all interested parties, but please register your interest to attend in advance by emailing Einar Thorsen at [log in to unmask]
Deadline for contributors to register interest is 4th June. Conference outline will be published shortly after.
Lunch and beverages will be provided.
** Background **
Elections represent a great spectacle of journalism and are therefore ideally suited to reflect upon the current and future state of political news and journalism, particularly in online contexts. In the words of Jon Snow: "Once an election is called, journalists go into overdrive. It’s a genuinely exciting time – a voyage into the unknown whose ending will affect all our lives."
The 2010 UK General Election was expected to be a historic milestone and it certainly lived up to promise. Politically it offered the closest contest in years, returning the first hung parliament since 1974, and a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The media campaign was groundbreaking too, dominated by the first ever televised prime ministerial debates, hosted by ITV, Sky and the BBC.
Online news reporting in its various guises was, unlike previous elections, no longer just a curious oddity at the fringes of the media landscape, but an essential part of online political journalism. Both newspapers and broadcasters invested heavily in election micro-websites, many of which included continuous campaign updates through live blogging. Journalists used Twitter and Facebook for breaking news or unconfirmed rumours, and also as a valuable source of ‘public sentiment’ and insight into the political process. Ordinary citizens, for their part, used social media to hold politicians and mainstream media to account.
** Centre for Journalism and Communication Research **
The Centre for Journalism and Communication Research was launched in 2009. It brings together two research groups – the Journalism Research Group and the Narrative Research Group – from within the Media School at Bournemouth University. Researchers affiliated to the Centre represent a diverse array of interests and expertise, while sharing a commitment to engage in real-world issues of pressing significance.
Website: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/imcr/cjcr/
With apologies for any cross posting.
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Dr. Einar Thorsen | Lecturer in Journalism and Communication
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Twitter: http://twitter.com/einarthorsen
Phone: +44 (0)1202 965749
Editor of Three-D, official newsletter of MeCCSA: http://www.meccsa.org.uk/newsletter
Co-Editor (with Stuart Allan) of Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives: http://citizenjournalism.me/
Personal blog and list of publications: http://multimediajournalism.info/
Centre for Journalism and Communication Research: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/imcr/cjcr/
Address: The Media School, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK
BU - the UK's Number One New University
The Guardian University Guide 2009 & 2010
This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error, please notify the sender and delete this email, which must not be copied, distributed or disclosed to any other person.
Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Bournemouth University or its subsidiary companies. Nor can any contract be formed on behalf of the University or its subsidiary companies via email.
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