Journalism In the Time of Crisis is an international symposium to be hosted online this Oct. 22-23 by the Journalism program at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. We will engage with a global network of experts to examine the nexus between journalism and the COVID-19 pandemic to find lessons for journalism practice and study in the future.

Seizing upon the greatest international crisis in a generation, the main goal of the event is to identify the role played by journalism, how the crisis itself has shaped journalism and how best to absorb the lessons learned.

You can register for the event now using this Eventbrite site. Prior to the event, registrants will be directed to the Socio platform that will be used by participants to engage with the speakers and panel discussions.

Carleton’s journalism school, the oldest in Canada, was founded in October 1945 in the wake of the Second World War; we are launching events marking this 75th anniversary with this virtual gathering of experts and practitioners to share insights about journalism’s role in another global crisis. The symposium will be convened on the Socio platform to maximize the ability of registrants to engage with the experts during more than 20 panels and keynote presentations over two days. The online forum will also feature an international town hall for journalism students and discussion of how journalism education can foster essential skills for crisis reporting among students and practicing journalists.

Journalism as an industry and a profession was already experiencing a crisis when the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the world into a state of deep uncertainty. And yet, people around the world have turned to journalists to help them make sense of the most significant social and economic crisis of our generation. The symposium will explore the fascinating intersection of journalism and the COVID-19 crisis to assess both short and long-term impacts. We will examine such issues as the role journalists have played during the pandemic, the impact of the crisis on journalism practice and business models, the future of local news, the ongoing contest between journalism and misinformation, threats to global media freedom, the impact in the global south and the implications for journalism education.

Speakers:
The full agenda will be posted soon. Featured speakers and panelists scheduled to take part include:

Keynotes:
Richard Fletcher, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford
Andre Picard, Globe and Mail; Julie Posetti, ICFJ
Tom Rosenstiel, American Press Institute
Teresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada
Ed Yong, The Atlantic

Panelists to include:
Vik Adhopia, CBC
Erin Ailworth, Wall Street Journal
Obi Anyadike, The New Humanitarian
Adrienne Arsenault, CBC’s The National
Helen Branswell, STAT News
Alberto Cairo, University of Miami
Phillip Crawley, Globe and Mail
Daniel Dale, CNN
Joel Eastwood, Wall Street Journal
Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa
Charelle Evelyn, The Hill Times
Anthony Feinstein, University of Toronto
Brian Goldman, CBC
Adrian Harewood, CBC Ottawa
Danielle Kilgo, University of Minnesota
Jennifer Leask, Langara College
April Lindgren, Ryerson University
Maryn McKenna, Knight Foundation/Emory University
Cheryl McKenize, APTN
Laxmi Parthasarathy, Global Press Institute
Jayme Poisson, Front Burner, CBC
Althia Raj, Huffington Post Canada
Tara Kirk Sell, John Hopkins University
Patti Sonntag, Project Pandemic, Concordia University
Alan Soon, Spice Media, Singapore
Alison Uncles, Maclean’s
Peter Van Dusen, CPAC

This project is supported by Canada's Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Carleton’s journalism program is partnering for this event with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), the American Press Institute (API), the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) and the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ).