On 27-28 November 2023 (Ustroń), the 1st scientific conference in the series ‘Media communication in research and practice’ was held. Its central theme was ‘Communicating in interesting times’. The Institute of Journalism and Media Communication at the University of Silesia in Katowice organized the conference.
Anna Jupowicz-Ginalska attended the conference presenting the project’s findings under the title: ‘NO to war! On systemic and individual assistance of the Polish media to Ukraine”. From the outset, the war in Ukraine has focused the attention of media from all over the world – including Poland. As is usually the case with ‘disaster marathons’, the media react intensively and immediately on a managerial and content level.
On the managerial level, the study observed ‘breaking frame routines’, including introducing new programs, supplements, and columns devoted to the war, strengthening the information and journalism division, and organizing events (concerts) commemorating the event.
On the content level, the study observed multiplication of information about the Russian invasion that dominated media coverage, creating a new wave of infodemia. The war in Ukraine brought, among other things, drastic images and data, an extensive narrative about defenders and invaders, and – and this can be considered a unique reaction – an unprecedented wave of actual media involvement, going beyond ‘neutral’ media involvement. The Polish media demonstrated social sensitivity and a genuine aid-humanitarian attitude, realizing it both at the organizational level (when entire media companies were involved in humanitarian help) and at the individual level (grassroots activities of media personel).
The presentation aimed to identify and systematize practical, pro-social and pro-Ukrainian activities of the Polish media from February 2022, undertaken on a systemic and individual level. It attempted to determine the scale of these solutions (and how they have changed over time), along with an answer to how history, geopolitics and culture may have shaped this humanitarian uprising. This exploratory research was reinforced by two research methods: content analysis and analysis of foundational data.
The full program of the conference can be found here.
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