Political Communication APSA Preconference 2019
Media and Democracy in Troubled Times
Political Communication as a discipline has long been concerned with the interactions between media, citizens, and government. In 2019, both the media and democracy have fallen on hard times. We are facing hard questions about whether free speech can survive the rising tide of disinformation, whether a free press can sustain itself financially, and whether liberal democracy can coexist with digital populism.
For the 2019 Political Communication APSA Preconference, we invited paper submissions that deal with topics related to media and democracy in troubled times. How are citizens, journalists, media outlets, digital platforms, and public officials adapting to these troubled times? What is the nature of the threat that we face, and what (if anything) can be done?