Join us for "Threats to Democracies: A Transatlantic Workshop on Media and the 2024 Elections," a two-day event on October 23rd & 24th hosted by the UNC Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, in partnership with UNC Global Affairs, Thomas Mann House Los Angeles, and the UNC Center for European Studies, and co-sponsored by the UNC School of Information and Library Science. This event will bring together renowned experts to discuss the critical challenges to democracies in the U.S. and Europe, with a particular focus on media, technology, and election dynamics. Featuring four workshop panels, culminating in a fireside chat, you will not want to miss this event.
Please note: The workshop is by invitation only, but we welcome all to attend the Fireside Chat on Thursday at 5pm! RSVP for the Fireside Chat here:
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Media, Technological Change, and Democratic Threats
This panel explores the new challenges democracies on both sides of the Atlantic face from media and technological changes, with an emphasis on elections.
- Moderator: Daniel Kreiss, Principal Investigator, CITAP & Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
- Panelists:
- Francesca Tripodi, Principal Investigator, CITAP & Associate Professor, UNC School of Information and Library Science
- Guido Zurstiege, Professor for Media Studies, University of Tübingen
- Tobias Wilke, Assistant Professor of German, UNC Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Gregory Asmolov, Lecturer in Digital Entrepreneurship and Marketing, King's College London
- Jianing Li, Assistant Professor of Communication, Rutgers University Department of Communication.
- Jakob Wiedekind, DAAD Visiting Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Political Science
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Lunch Break
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM | Transatlantic Narratives of Race, Ethnicity, Religion, and Immigration
This panel focuses on how social cleavages around race, ethnicity, religion, and immigration are weaponized in political narratives and elections.
- Moderator: Ulrike Klinger, Professor for Digital Democracy, European New School of Digital Studies
- Panelists:
- Meredith Clark, Principal Investigator, CITAP & Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
- Jen Schradie, Associate Professor, Center for Research on Social Inequalities, Sciences Po
- Priscilla Layne, Director of the UNC Center for European Studies & Professor of German, UNC Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Sarah J. Jackson, Associate Professor, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania & Co-Director, Media, Inequality & Change Center
- Frank Baumgartner, Professor of Political Science, UNC Department of Political Science
- Robert Jenkins, Teaching Professor, UNC Department of Political Science
Thursday, October 24, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Media and Authoritarianism, Anti-Democratic Parties, Fascism, and the Far Right
This panel examines the resurgence of authoritarianism and anti-democratic politics, with a focus on how media and technology facilitate these trends.
- Moderator: Ulrike Klinger, Professor for Digital Democracy, European New School of Digital Studies
- Panelists:
- Alice Marwick, Director of Research, Data & Society
- Johannes Gerschewski, Research Fellow, Department of Global Governance, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
- Jakob Norberg, Professor of German Studies, Duke University
- Christiane Lemke, Emerita Professor of Political Science and International Relations, UNC Department of Political Science
- Annett Heft, Professor of Far-right Extremism Research with Focus on Media and Public Spheres, University of Tübingen
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM | Lunch
1:30 PM – 3:15 PM | Media and Polarization
This panel addresses the role of media in increasing polarization, disinformation, and division during election campaigns.
- Moderator: Daniel Kreiss, Principal Investigator, CITAP & Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
- Panelists:
- Shannon McGregor, Principal Investigator, CITAP & Associate Professor, UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
- Frank Esser, Professor of International & Comparative Media Research, Universität Zürich.
- Pola Lehmann, Research Fellow, Center for Civil Society Research, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
- Stanislav Shvabrin, Russian Program Director & Associate Professor of Russian, UNC Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Radislav Lapushin, Associate Professor of Russian Literature, UNC Department of Germanic & Slavic Languages & Literatures
- Chad Bryant, Professor, UNC Department of History
Join us for "Media Coverage of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election: The View from Germany and the United States," a Fireside Chat hosted by the UNC Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, in partnership with UNC Global Affairs, Thomas Mann House Los Angeles, and the UNC Center for European Studies, and co-sponsored by the UNC School of Information and Library Science.
This engaging discussion will feature Tressie McMillan Cottom, a New York Times columnist, Principal Investigator at CITAP and Associate Professor at UNC SILS, alongside Juliane Schäuble, U.S. Correspondent for the German Tagesspiegel newspaper. The conversation will be moderated by Daniel Kreiss, Principal Investigator at CITAP and Professor at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
This event offers a unique opportunity to explore the dynamics of media coverage of the 2024 U.S. presidential election from both German and American perspectives. Attendees will gain insights into the role of media in shaping public opinion and the broader implications for democracy in a global context. The discussion aims to foster transatlantic dialogue and provide valuable perspectives on how media can influence democratic processes in the contemporary political landscape.
Presenting Partners
The Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to advancing democratic futures through rigorous research that diagnoses and translates the dynamics of power in media, communication, and information ecosystems. From global tech platforms to local news outlets, CITAP equips journalists, policymakers, and the public with critical insights to reimagine and build systems essential for equitable and sustainable progress.
CITAP is supported by its philanthropic partners, including the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Luminate, and the Siegel Family Endowment.
The Center for European Studies (CES) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill advances understanding of the social, political, and economic events that shape contemporary Europe. The overarching mandate of the Center is to enhance undergraduate and graduate instruction in contemporary European studies, to promote scholarship and training for students and faculty from all disciplines and professional schools, and to stimulate institutional and public awareness of Europe’s economic, cultural, and political importance on campus, in North Carolina, and across the nation.
UNC Global Affairs advances the University’s core mission of “leading change to improve society and to help solve the world’s greatest problems” by focusing on high-impact education practices for teaching and learning, investing in Carolina faculty, and delivering Carolina’s Global Guarantee. It equips faculty with the tools and connections to collaborate across departments, institutions, and borders to teach, research, and serve. UNC Global Affairs identifies opportunities, mitigates risks associated with international experiences, and provides global education resources. Additionally, Carolina’s Global Guarantee ensures that every Tar Heel has access to a rich and comprehensive menu of global learning opportunities.
The Thomas Mann House Los Angeles is a residency center owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. The Thomas Mann Fellowships enable academics, pioneering thinkers, and intellectuals who live, or have lived, in Germany to tackle the pressing challenges of our time and to foster the intellectual and cultural exchange between Germany and the United States. It aims to create a vibrant transatlantic space for debate, where outstanding personalities, in dialogue with each other and the host country, address fundamental contemporary and future issues related to politics, society, and culture. Its interdisciplinary program owes much to the spirit of Thomas Mann, who, during his time in the United States, extensively dealt with issues such as the roots of fascism, democratic renewal, freedom, migration, and exile in his literary works, lectures and essays.
The Thomas Mann House brings together German and American interlocutors from different disciplines, intellectual and artistic traditions, and political backgrounds. Fellowships and events facilitate encounters and intellectual exchange. Via lecture tours, workshops, and symposia, as well as radio broadcasts and digital media, the Thomas Mann House is to radiate out from Pacific Palisades across the United States and to Germany. Part of the cultural, academic, and political networks in Southern California, the Thomas Mann House provides important inspiration and ideas for German-American relations.
Co-Sponsor
