On August 31st and September 1st, the Weizenbaum Institute and Free University of Berlin hosted the bi-annual ECREA Political Communication Section Conference!
In an international environment, the event counted approximately 150 scholars from 23 countries in Europe, Australia, Asia, and America in Germany. The two-day conference was packed with exciting keynotes and insights into new research and provided special opportunities for network building. With the theme of Navigating the Noise: Effective Communication for Solving Political Problems, early-career researchers learned how to effectively communicate their research to diverse audiences. The event aimed to cover both traditional and new media, with a focus on the reasons why science communication is important, when it is appropriate, and how to reach targeted audiences effectively.
Annett Heft (Free University of Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) chaired the section “Alternative Media and Counterpublics”, and two Ph.D. students from our team took part in presentations.
Under the title Beyond Left and Right, Miriam Milzner (Free University of Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) presented her research on the evolving landscape of alternative media, challenging traditional leftist or subaltern categorizations. Emphasizing the importance of considering broader forms of critique in conceptualizing alternative media beyond mere opposition to mainstream media.
Additionally, Baoning Gong (Free University of Berlin/Weizenbaum Institute) also presented her PhD paper “Comparing German far-right movement network and communities across platforms” contrasting so-called mainstream platform Twitter to “alternative” platforms Telegram and Gettr, and showing how “alternative platforms” offer opportunities for more extremist far-right social movements
The participants left the conference with skills and knowledge on how to share their research findings in a way that is engaging and accessible to a wider audience. Guaranteeing a meaningful impact outside of academia!
We thank all participants for their valuable insights that will inspire future collaborations!
