This conference is on the phenomenon of death in the media. Death is a taboo subject for many people but not for the media. Social media constantly urges viewers to watch events showing the fragility of life. There is no escape. Consciously or not, dealing with death has become an everyday experience.
This phenomenon of death in the media has a negative influence on the perception of the reality. The pictures of violence disease, catastrophes, wars, conflicts terrorist attacks, suicides murders create fear and lead us to becoming insensitive to death. Accustomising ourselves to these kinds of pictures seems to be normal and at best is the reaction to any death we see in the media as the order of nature.
On the other hand a picture of death in the media has an important function- it inspires reflection on the transience of the world and the final destination of a human being- the examples that were experienced by many at the death of John Paul and the plane crash near Smolensk. These events inspired people to genuinely unite, change their lives, build a better religious community and a national future.
The focus of the conference DEATH IN THE MEDIA is to inspire media experts, diverse scholars and journalists to broadly reflect on the theme of death in the mass media.
Proposed topics (not an exhaustive list):
1. Death as a media topic( in the news programmes, advertising, internet, press, radio television, movies).
2. Media and the problem of inevitable and expected death (death from natural causes, the death of children, the death of elderly people, the death of the terminally ill, death in catastrophies, accidents, wars conflicts and through crime).
3. Media reporting on abortion and euthanasia.
4. The ethical, psychological and spiritual aspects of death in media coverage (the ethics and pedagogy of communication in the media).
5. The cultural phenomenon of death in media coverage ( preparing for death, mourning, the meaning of death, cemetries).
Topic and abstract (500 editorial characters) should be submitted by December 31st 2010 to the e-mail address Warsaw Media Days:
[email protected].
On the basis of received propositions the detailed schedule will be arranged and accepted speakers will be informed. We will also send you a copy of the rules to help you prepare a paper for publication.
The conference fee (350 PLN) should be submitted by February 28th 2011. The bank account number is BRE S.A. 21 1140 1010 0000 3670 1200 1005 and please write the title of the conference: DEATH IN THE MEDIA.
A text should be submitted to the e-mail address:
[email protected] by April 6th 2011.
