Journalism and academia have interlinked yet divergent histories as forms of knowledge production, evolving different working assumptions and practices, and different institutional worldviews. In recent years, partly due to the similar challenges they face – wide public distrust in institutions of knowledge and the erosion of public spheres – there are increasing signs of collaboration and cross-fertilisation, as well as shared anxieties about the future.

This conference, organised by UCD Clinton Institute and The Conversation, will scope emerging relations between knowledge production, technologies and public life, and look ahead with ideas on how to build trust and confidence in public knowledge.

Draft Programme

Venue Royal Irish Academy, Dawson Street

Thursday 7th March

 5.30     When AI Meets Journalism

 Henry Farrell (Johns Hopkins University) The Map Devours the Territory: AI Meets Journalism

Chair: Adrian Weckler (Irish Independent)

6.30     Reception

Friday 8th March

 10.15 Academic Journalism

 Stephen Khan (The Conversation)

 Colleen Murrell (Dublin City University, Ireland)

Chair: Hasan Salim Patel (Birmingham Newman University)

11.00 Epistemic Authority

Matt Carlson (University of Minnesota) “Epistemic Crises, Epistemic Contests, and Epistemic Opportunities: Disentangling Interpretive Positions for Considering Journalism’s Future”

Aaron Hyzen (University of Antwerp, Belgium) "Out of the Crisis: Epistemic Welfare in a Digitized Media Ecology”

 Harry Browne (Technological University Dublin) “Cognitive Infrastructure: Journalism, Academia and the Risks of Knowledge Management”

Chair: Idrees Ahmad (University of Essex)

12.30   Lunch

 1.30     Open Source Investigative Journalism

 Alexa Koenig (University California Berkeley)

Gianluca Mezzofiore (CNN)

Chair: Fergal Gallagher (RTE)

 2.30     Democracy and Trust

Mark Schoofs (University of Southern California) “Flood the zone with shit”: Lessons on truth telling in the age of epistemic crisis from BuzzFeed News.

 Seth C. Lewis (University of Oregon) and Jacob L. Nelson (University of Utah) “Unhealthy Skepticism: Making Sense of Growing Distrust in Journalism and Knowledge Institutions”

 Terry McCarthy (American Society of Cinematographers, USA) "Artificial Intelligence: Here’s “all” you need to know"

Chair: Scott Lucas (UCD)

4.00     Tea & Coffee

4.30     Reporting the Middle East

 Giles Trendle (former MD of Al Jazeera English) ‘Deadlines & Frontlines: Examining Media Narratives and the Challenges of Reporting in the Middle East’

Jairo Alfonso Lugo-Ocando (University of Sharjah) “Influencers, Journalists and Public Engagement in MENA"

Idrees Ahmad (New Lines/University of Essex), "Technology’s Equivocal Promise: On the Al Ahli Bombing and the Perils of Groupthink in Open Source Investigations”

Chair: Mary Fitzgerald (journalist/Middle East Institute)

 6.00     On Political Writing

 Gary Younge (The Guardian/University of Manchester) "How Racism Shaped My Critical Eye"

Chair: Liam Kennedy (UCD)

This conference marks the launch of a new MA in Journalism and International Affairs programme at University College Dublin. This programme is a collaboration between UCD Clinton Institute and CNN Academy.

There is no conference fee. To register, please contact Catherine.Carey@ucd.ie

Accommodation suggestions

There are many accommodation options available in and around Dublin. These are only a few suggestions.

The Mespil Hotel, Mespil Road

Buswells Hotel, City Centre

The Trinity City Hotel

Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge

Radisson SAS St Helen’s

The Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan

Hampton by Hilton Hotel, City Centre

Trinity Lodge Hotel

School House Hotel

Camden Court Hotel