EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN UNIVERSITY

Center for Research and Communication for Peace 

The 8th International Communication and Media Studies Conference:

“Trust and Truth in the Age of AI”

Call for Paper

The Center of Research and Communication for Peace (CRCP) in the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies at Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) is pleased to invite submissions addressing the general theme of the 8th International Communication and Media Studies Conference.

The conference will take place on 12-14 November 2026 in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, under the theme “Trust and Truth in the Age of AI."

As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how information is produced, distributed and consumed, questions of truth, trust, credibility, ethics and accountability have become central to communication and media studies. AI is transforming journalism, strategic communication, political communication, visual culture, digital platforms and everyday communication practices. At the same time, generative AI, deepfakes, algorithmic systems and synthetic media are raising urgent questions about misinformation, verification, public trust, representation and democratic life.

This conference approaches artificial intelligence not merely as a technological development, but as a profound transformation of communication processes, institutions and cultures. It aims to bring together a diverse range of scholarly activities by offering a platform for academic scientists, researchers, early-career scholars and graduate students to exchange ideas and present research findings across various areas of communication and media studies.

Furthermore, the conference provides an opportunity for participants to discuss recent innovations, emerging trends, theoretical debates, and practical challenges, as well as the solutions being developed in relation to communication in AI-shaped media environments.

We welcome research papers in both English and Turkish, covering a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

Conflict, Peace and Communication Across Divided Societies

• Trust-building through communication
• AI, conflict communication and social fragmentation
• Peace communication in the age of AI
• Communication across divided communities
• Cyprus, media trust and public dialogue

Journalism, News and Information Integrity

• AI, verification and fact-checking cultures
• Disinformation, misinformation and information disorder
• Local journalism, conflict reporting and public trust
• Peace journalism in digital environments

Political Communication, Democracy and Public Trust

• AI and political communication
• Computational propaganda and persuasive communication
• Polarisation, populism and distrust
• AI-generated political content and electoral communication
• Communication in divided societies

Digital/Social Media, Platforms and Algorithmic Communication

• Datafication, surveillance and digital communication
• Platform cultures and communicative inequalities

Strategic Communication, Advertising, Public Relations and Organizational Trust

• Trust repair in institutional communication
• AI in public relations and strategic communication
• Reputation, transparency and organizational credibility
• Crisis communication in AI-shaped media environments
• Brand communication and persuasive communication strategies

Visual Arts, Design, and AI-Mediated Communication

• AI-generated images, visual truth, authenticity, and synthetic imagery
• Graphic design, visual persuasion, and trust in the age of AI
• Generative AI in the visual arts, and illustration

• Game design, interactive media, and AI-generated environments
• Virtual reality and augmented reality

Cinema, Television, and AI-Mediated Storytelling

• Film, television, and AI-mediated storytelling
• Scriptwriting, editing, and creative production with generative AI
• AI-generated moving images, deepfakes, and audiovisual credibility

Other Issues

Registration fee covers the following:

• Participation certificate
• Conference kit
• Program booklet
• Abstract book
• Lunches
• Tea-coffee breaks

Important Information

• If papers have more than one presenter, all participants must pay the participation fee.
• Participation fee cannot be refunded.

If you have any questions or require assistance with the submission process, please do not hesitate to contact us at nilufer.turksoy@emu.edu.tr

Opening Keynote Address 

Prof. Dr. Thomas Hanitzsch

International Communication Association (ICA) President

Chair of Media and Communication Department at LMU Munich

Prof. Dr. Thomas Hanitzsch is Professor of Communication in the Department of Media and Communication at LMU Munich, where he holds the Chair of Communication with a focus on journalism research. A former journalist, he teaches and conducts reseaonmine global journalism cultures, the transformation of journalism, comparative methodology, war coverage, mental health, and the changing professional conditions of journalists. He is a Fellow and currently President of the International Communication Association (ICA).

Dr. Hanitzsch has played a prominent role in the international development of journalism studies as a field. He chaired the Journalism Studies sections of both the International Communication Association (ICA), from 2004 to 2006, and the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), from 2010 to 2014. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Communication Theory journal from 2011 to 2014.

His scholarly work is widely recognized for advancing comparative journalism research and for mapping how journalists across different political, cultural, and media systems understand their professional roles. He leads the Worlds of Journalism Study, a major multinational research project that regularly assesses journalists' professional views, working conditions, and the role of journalism in a changing world.

Among his most influential publications is Worlds of Journalism: Journalistic Cultures Around the Globe (Columbia University Press, 2019), a landmark comparative volume based on data from more than 27,500 journalists in 67 countries. The book analyzes how journalists around the world perceive their responsibilities, their relationship to society and government, and the meaning of their work.

Prof.Dr. Hanitzsch's academic profile reflects a sustained commitment to international, collaborative, and methodologically rigorous communication research. His work has contributed significantly to understanding journalism not as a single universal model, but as a set of diverse professional cultures shaped by local histories, institutions, political conditions, and global transformations. His research continues to inform debates on the future of journalism, media professionalism, public communication, and the role of journalists in democratic and rapidly changing societies.