Round table: “Media and the ‘illiberal turn’: enablers, victims, or channels of resistance?”

The Peace Institute in collaboration with the European communication conference ECREA and the Slovenian Communication Association invites you to a round table on “Media and the ‘illiberal turn’: enablers, victims, or channels of resistance?” Thursday, September 26 at 18:00 in Pritličje, Mestni trg 2, Ljubljana.

Speakers: Prof. Sabina Mihelj, Loughborough University, Dr. Václav Štětka, Loughborough University, Prof. Péter Bajomi-Lázár, Budapest Business University. The discussion will be moderated by Prof. Mojca Pajnik, The Peace Institute & University of Ljubljana.

Liberal democracies across the world are facing numerous challenges, from the growing influence of illiberal leaders, parties, and movements to deepening ideological polarization and declining trust in political elites and mainstream media. These developments have attracted significant scholarly attention and have often been linked to changes in the information environment. Drawing on extensive research in several Central and Eastern European countries, this round table discusses “the illiberal public sphere” (Mihelj & Štětka), that promotes and amplifies illiberal actors, views, attitudes, and “colonization of the media” (Bajomi-Lázár), referring to political parties and their affiliates taking control over media. The debate will explore how and why the changing communication environment facilitates selective exposure to ideologically and politically homogeneous sources, fosters changes in normative assumptions that guide media trust, and increases vulnerability to disinformation. Moving beyond simplistic arguments that attribute the rise of illiberalism solely to the growing influence of digital media and social networking platforms, the round table will emphasize deeper, systemic shifts in communication ecologies and journalistic cultures.

Join us for an engaging discussion on the role of media in the current political climate!