site.btaSofia University Hosts 5th International Conference on "Communications and Media in 21st Century"

Sofia University's fifth international conference on "Communications and Media in the 21st Century" was held online on Thursday and Friday. It was themed "Communications, Media and Education in the Paradigm of New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence." Speakers discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the news media, new paradigms and trends in journalism, and the regulation of media ethics. The event was organized by the university's Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication (FJMC).

Ten discussions proceeded simultaneously. A discussion on "New Paradigms in Journalism" focused on the status of journalism as a public service rather than a commodity, and the need for human control over AI advancements. Representatives of universities in Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and Bulgaria joined the panel.

During a questions-and-answers session, FJMC's sociology professor Svetlozar Kirilov asked the participants from Poland and Slovakia about the war between Russia and Ukraine and possible territorial claims. The Polish representatives expressed support for Ukraine and said their role is to provide unbiased information. The Slovak speakers said Ukraine's territorial integrity should be respected, and noted that the question is largely a matter of media speculation.

The topic of ethnocentrism and media coverage was discussed with special emphasis on the role of cultural closeness in determining newsworthiness. Speakers said that media reports in Bulgaria pay more attention to news about Bulgarians while other regions are put aside. Other participants focused on disinformation and media literacy. The Spanish group gave examples of programmes encouraging young people to identify fake news and avoid being influenced by it.

In a discussion on "Ethics Regulation and the New Media Environment," Prof. Nikolai Mihailov, Deputy Dean of the FJMC Department of Communication, Public Relations and Advertising, argued that transparency is not always enough for journalism to be independent. Dilyana Kirkovska of the FJMC Department of Radio and Television called for regulating the content generated by influencers and making them accountable for what they publish. Some speakers touched upon the topic of elections and their media coverage.

The participants in the conference rallied around the view that such events are very useful for them, for the public, and above all, for science.

The fifth international conference on "Communications and Media in the 21st Century" marked 50 years since the FJMC's establishment as an autonomous unit of Sofia University. A total of 115 members of academic and institutional communities, including 40 foreigners, participated in the two-day online event. The reports delivered during the conference will be published in a book, complemented by scholarly reviews.