Upcoming Conferences of the American Political Science Association

APSA 2023 Annual Meeting

“Rights and Responsibilities in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation”

Los Angeles, CA

August 31 – September 3, 2023

APSA Political Communication Division Call for the 2023 Conference:

Division Chair(s): Patrick Meirick, University of Oklahoma

Political communication is at the heart of this year’s conference theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation.” Political communication scholars are working to explain the emergence of this age, the technological and social conditions that enable it to thrive, its implications, and possible steps to prevent or mitigate the damage it can do. This year’s theme particularly encourages examination of the ways that political communicators broadly defined – individuals, political actors, governments, media outlets, social media platforms, movements, and political communication scholars – are (or are not) exercising their rights or fulfilling their responsibilities concerning mis- and disinformation, how those rights and/or responsibilities come into conflict, and what the consequences are of these actions. Possible topics may include, but are not limited to: viral misinformation, deepfakes, fake news, conspiracy theories, “the big lie,” fact-checking, de-platforming, inoculation/pre-bunking, and government regulation.

Given the APSA’s goals of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion and access throughout the profession, the Political Communication section especially welcomes diverse theoretical and methodological approaches and interdisciplinary work from scholars with a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds. We invite papers, panels, and roundtable submissions that are theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous. Proposals should not exceed one page in length and should clearly state research questions, theoretical structure, methodological approach, and overall implications for the field of political communication.

APSA Political Communication Section Pre-Conference

The Age of MisInformation

APSA Pre-Conference in Political Communication

30 Aug 2023, UCLA

As the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting Theme Statement notes, “Mis- and disinformation are not new, but these phenomena are becoming increasingly prevalent and problematic across the world.” These issues are accordingly a focus of several major events at the 2023 Meeting – including the APSA Pre-Conference in Political Communication.

Political communication scholars are at the forefront of work on mis- and dis-information. Indeed, the subfield has since its inception been concerned with these themes, alongside biases and/or failures in media coverage more generally. A combination of technological development and political change has thrust the problems of mis- and dis-information to the forefront of current debates about media and politics, however – not just within the academy, but in public debate as well. The APSA Pre-Conference in Political Communication accordingly welcomes submissions on a range of topics related to the creation, identification, dissemination, causes, and consequences of mis-information and dis-information (broadly defined)

Papers that do not directly address the larger conference theme but deal with core issues of political communication are welcome to apply, though priority will be given to papers related to the theme.

Submissions are due by April 3. Proposals should include full contact information for all authors, as well as a 250 word abstract. Apply HERE.

The pre-conference will be held at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is co-organized by scholars at the Communication and Politics Group at UCLA, and the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UCLA is located in Westwood, a 30-45 minute drive from downtown Los Angeles. For questions about your submission, please contact one of the organizers (listed below). The workshop will be held in-person. All public health guidelines in place at the time will be followed. The Political Communication section will make available several travel awards to allow section members to travel to Los Angeles. Travel grant applications will be made available here (and through the Political Communication section) when they are available.

Looking forward to seeing you in LA!

The Organizing Committee

Tim Groeling (UCLA), Georgia Kernell (UCLA), Shannon McGregor (UNC) and Stuart Soroka (UCLA)