The Media and Politics Group (MPG) aims to act as a forum for discussion between a wide variety of academics with interests in the study of media policy, journalism, political communications, new information technologies and other topics. The Group always contributes a stream of panels to the PSA annual conference, as well as running its own successful annual conference. The Media & Politics Group operates an open and inclusive policy, and empirical, theoretical, and practice-based research dealing with any aspect of media and politics is welcomed. This may include areas of political communication and journalism, but also includes a broader view of the political within such areas as online media, television, cinema and media arts, both factual and fictional.
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Keeping in touch
If you want to get in touch with us, please message [email protected]
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Call for Papers for Political Studies Association Annual International Conference 2027 in Hull: View below the Call for Media and Politics themed papers at the main conference
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The rise of alternative forms of political media amid diminishing levels of trust in mainstream/legacy news and information sources
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Grassroots activism, campaigning, political communication and resistance to dominant elites and norms
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Political divisions and conflict at the grassroots – both online and on the streets
- The role of affect, emotion, and authenticity within political communication
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Ongoing disruption due to disinformation, misinformation and malinformation – including through the role of AI
- The opportunities and challenges of digital campaigning
- Datafication and challenges to democracy
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Media, communication, inequality and marginalisation – and the tension between media/political discourses and lived experiences of marginalised groups
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Misrepresentation and underrepresentation of minorities in the mainstream political public sphere – and the rise of subaltern and counter-discursive spheres and social movements
- The methodological challenges of researching media and politics
- Decolonising/diversifying political communication research
Specialist Group Conference: Joint annual conference of the Political Studies Association’s Media and Politics Group (MPG) and the Technology, Internet, and Policy (TIP) Group
“Dis(mis)information and the Public Sphere in the Age of AI,”
Location: City St George’s, University of London (in-person)
Date: 12-13 January 2027
This year’s conference theme, “Dis(mis)information and the Public Sphere in the Age of AI,” will explore how Information Communication Technologies (ICT) are impacting the public sphere and whether social media facilitates an electronic agora. For advocates of a digital democracy, the abundance of unfiltered information streams, platforms and podcasts could enable ‘net’ citizens (or ‘Netizens’) to connect on a many-to-many or peer-to-peer basis. Such viral engagements can enhance grassroots political causes, social movements and direct-action campaigns. Conversely, critical theorists argue that social media has created societal, economic and political dislocations which have eroded rational debates into ideological polarisations. Further, through such political communication networks and nodes, normative editorial and journalist practices are under threat, impacting trust and accuracy of information and eventually leading to dis(mis)information. This conference seeks to critically examine the opportunities and risks ICTs present to the public sphere.
The conference will include three keynote presentations:
- Steven Barnett, University of Westminster
- Jennifer Birks, University of Nottingham
- Jean Seaton, University of Westminster
Additionally, two panels will bookend the conference:
• Public Service Media (PSM) and information technologies. Two of our keynotes Steven and Jean will be providing a detailed commentary with their expert insider based analyses.
• Artificial Intelligence, Communications Policy, Regulation and Popular Cultural content Panellists: Ali-Abbas Ali (Ofcom officer), Pete Johnson (CEO, British Screen Forum), James Peatty (Lecturer and filmmaker, Richmond University)), Paul MacDonald (Kings College London, TBC). Format: roundtable.
Book launch
We would be having the launch of the De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Political Communication that Mark and Petros have edited. The book has been published. See https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9783111386034/html?srsltid=AfmBOop0qVVIU4nfp3HrNIz6OPrwpC43_pqu3vUjCpMancYWahFkr_WP
Florida State University has kindly agreed to contribute toward the cost of the launch.
Registration fees
- Full-time delegate conference fee (PSA member): £150
- Full-time delegate conference fee (non-PSA member): £180
- PG doctoral candidate, retired or unwaged fee (Member/Non-Member): £95/£125
This covers lunches, coffee breaks, a drinks reception and the annual dinner.
We will be seeking to establish appropriate set of hotel/hostel deals for those colleagues who will be visiting London.
The Call for Papers is now closed. For any questions, please reach out to the organising team directly.
Organising team
Petros Iosifidis. City St George’s, University of London https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/about/people/academics/petros-iosifidis
Mark Wheeler. London Metropolitan University https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/profiles/staff/mark-wheeler
PSA MPG Seminar Series
In 2021 we launched a virtual seminar series. These monthly meetings offer an informal, supportive, and friendly space for colleagues to share their work, network with others, or even just to come along and listen. Past seminars include: 09/06/2021: Dr Lone Sorensen’s (University of Leeds) in conversation with Dr Katy Parry, discussing her new book Populist Communication: Ideology, Performance, Mediation (Palgrave). Watch here. 14/07/2021: Dr Paul Reilly (University of Sheffield) in conversation with Dr Emily Harmer, discussing his new book Digital Contention in a Divided Society: Social Media, Parades and Protests in Northern Ireland (Manchester University Press). Watch here. 15/09/2021: Panel — Uses and Abuses of Information and Disinformation: Power, Politics and Media with Dr Emma Briant (Bard College) and Dr Natalie Martin (University of Nottingham). Watch here. 13/10/2021: Professor Darren Lilleker (Bournemouth University) in conversation with Dr James Dennis, discussing his paper co-authored with Anastasia Veneti (Bournemouth University) entitled Overcoming the Crises and Reversing the Crisis of Political Communication: Towards a More Three-Dimensional Model. Watch here. 17/11/2021: Dr Abi Rhodes (University of Nottingham) — Social Movements in Elections: UK Anti-Austerity and Environmental Campaigning 2015-19. Watch here. 12/01/2022: Professor Cristian Vaccari (Loughborough University) in conversation with Dr James Dennis, discussing his new book co-authored with Augusto Valeriani (University of Bologna) entitled Outside the Bubble: Social Media and Political Participation in Western Democracies (OUP). Watch here. 15/03/2022: Dr Emily Harmer (University of Liverpool) in conversation with Dr Katy Parry, discussing her new book entitled Women, Media, and Elections: Representation and Marginalization in British Politics (Bristol University Press). Watch here. 11/05/2022: Dr Bernadine Jones (University of Sterling) in conversation with Dr Emily Harmer, discussing her new book entitled Elections and TV News in South Africa: Desperately Seeking Depth (Palgrave). Watch here. 08/06/2022: Dr Nick Anstead (LSE) in conversation with Dr James Dennis, discussing his new book entitled What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News? (SAGE). Watch here. 14/09/2022: Dr James Morrison (Robert Gordon University), discussing his new book entitled What Do We Know and What Should We Do About Fake News? (Pluto Press). Watch here. 14/12/2022: Dr Declan McDowell-Naylor (Surrey County Council) and Dr Nikki Soo (TikTok), discussing their career paths post-PhD. Book a ticket here. 13/02/2023: Caroline Leicht (University of Southampton) in conversation with Dr Emily Harmer, discussing Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: The Role of Gender in Candidate Representations in Political Satire. Watch here. 27/03/2023: Dr Natalie Jester (University of Gloucestershire) in conversation with Dr Katy Parry, discussing her new journal article entitled Making martial politics palatable: Constructing neoliberal feminist subjects in arms manufacturers’ social media feeds. Watch here. 16/05/2023: Dr Brendan Lawson (Loughborough University) in conversation with Dr Lone Sorensen, discussing his new book entitled The Life of a Number: Measurement, Meaning and the Media. Watch here. 14/11/2023: Dr Charlotte-Rose Kennedy (Birmingham City University) in conversation with Dr Abi Rhodes, discussing her research rooted in linguistics with a focus on protest coverage in the press. Watch here. 05/12/2023: Prof Stephen Coleman (University of Leeds) in conversation with Professor Katy Parry, discussing “What do we mean when we speak about political mood?”. Watch here. 28/02/2024: Prof Stephen Cushion (Cardiff University) in conversation with Dr James Dennis, discussing his new book entitled Beyond Mainstream Media: Alternative Media and the Future of Journalism. Book a ticket here. 16/04/2024: Prof Florian Toepfl (University of Passau) in conversation with Dr Lone Sorensen, discussing “Entertainment Interspersed With Propaganda: How Non-News Accounts Deliver Explicitly Political Content to Mass Audiences on Russia’s Most Popular Social Network VKontakte” (co-authored with Julia Kling (University of Trier) and Professor Pascal Jürgens (University of Trier)). Book a ticket here. We will announce our upcoming speakers in the Media and Politics Group newsletter. You can watch previous seminars on the PSA MPG YouTube channel.