The UNESCO Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication was established at the Faculty of Journalism (Lomonosov Moscow State University) in 1993. Professor Yassen Zassoursky is its founder, Professor Elena Vartanova took part in its creation as co-chair. From the very beginning the Chair has been a research hub for media and communication studies. Initially the activities of the Chair were connected with media system studies, as well as research in the field of freedom of speech.
Currently the Chair focuses on media literacy in the сontext of сonscious media consumption, digital divide and digital inclusion, media regulation and journalism ethics in the Eurasian space.

The Chair focuses on two main research fields: media literacy and digital divide. On the one hand it is dedicated to conducting research in these subject areas. On the other hand it engages scholars and media professionals in discussions connected with these issues. The Faculty of Journalism together with the Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication at Moscow State University annually hold research conferences, round table discussions and seminars, which touch upon serious challenges contemporary communicators face in a multicultural digital environment. The Moscow Readings is the main international conference held annually by the Chair in Journalism and Mass Communication together with the Faculty of Journalism. This is a scholarly event, which unites researchers from all over the world. Moreover, in recent years the Chair has been involved in a number of public events aimed at promoting media literacy among different segments of the general public.

Books

Digital inequality in the modern communication space of Russia
Authors: Vartanova E. L., Gladkova A. A., Vikhrova O. Yu., Lapin D. A., Samorodova E. V.
Year of publication: 2023
Publisher: Publishing House Mosk. university
Publisher location: M.

The media system of Russia: textbook for university students / edited by E. L. Vartanova.
Authors: Vartanova E. L., Vyrkovsky A. V., Gureeva A. N., Dunas D. V., and others
Year of publication: 2023
Place of publication: China Publishing House China
The educational publication examines the general theoretical issues of classification and indication of media systems, the historical stages of development and formation of the national media system, and also characterizes the legal field in which it operates. The textbook comprehensively and using modern statistical data examines various segments of the Russian media system: the print press, television, radio, online media, news agencies, advertising, public relations, the film industry, book publishing, etc. The textbook is intended for teachers and students of journalism faculties, as well as researchers and media workers.

Research

Participation as a key resource in the media environment of public associations

II International Scientific and Practical Conference “EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN AN OPEN EDUCATIONAL SPACE: POTENTIAL OF A SOCIAL MOVEMENT"
Conference dates: February 19-20, 2024
Speaker: Anikina M. E.
Venue: Russia
Media educator: formation of professional specialization

VII International Scientific and Practical Conference on Lifelong Education “Lifelong Education in the Context of the Idea of ​​the Future: Pedagogical Technologies and Adult Learning Practices”
Conference dates: April 24-25, 2024
Speaker: Anikina M. E.
Venue: Moscow, Russia
Abstract of the report: The survey shows that the success of a specialist can be associated with the success of students and their perception of the teacher’s work, with his popularity and demand; In addition, an indicator of the success of a media educator today can be external recognition and approval from government officials; finally, the success of a media teacher reveals a media change due to the stability of the media communication resources created with the help and support of a specific media teacher.

Digital Journalism: The State of Play in Russia and in Global Academia article
Authors: Vartanova E.L., Gladkova A.A., Dunas D.V.
Collection: The Palgrave Handbook of Everyday Digital Life (ed. by H. S. Dunn, M. Ragnedda, M. L. Ruiu & L. Robinson)
Year of publication: 2024
Place of publication: Palgrave Macmillan Cham, Switzerland

Digital journalism: Russian and foreign theoretical contexts conference report
International Conference: Digital journalism: technologies, meanings and features of creative activity
Conference dates: April 26-27, 2024
Speaker: Gladkova A. A.
Venue: Russia

Ethical safety of a journalist as a research problem theses of the report
Author: Smirnova O. V.
Collection: Media in the modern world. 63rd St. Petersburg readings: collection. mater. Intl. scientific forum (April 18–20, 2024) / resp. ed. A. A. Malyshev. In 2 vols. T. 2
Year of publication: 2024
Publisher: Russia

Media classes in the system of pre-vocational education: experience of working with Moscow schools, report at the conference
Author: Tolokonnikova A. V.
All-Russian Conference: All-Russian scientific and practical conference “EPSILON: Practices of supporting intellectually gifted students in specialized classes”
Conference dates: March 29, 2024
Venue: Russia
Abstract of the report: The report was devoted to describing the structure of pre-vocational education in Moscow schools and what place media classes have in it.

Telegram as a Platform for the Preservation and Dissemination of Traditional Values in the Central Asian Diasporas of the Russian Federation
Authors: Vikhrova O., Gorlova I., Floriak K.
Journal: Journal of Cyberspace Studies
Year of publication: 2024
Publisher: University of Tehran
Publisher location: Iran
Abstract: Widespread of digitalization has led to the emergence of the phenomenon of "digital diasporas"- virtual communities of migrants on various platforms. This paper is devoted to the study of the specifics of Telegram communities of the largest Central Asian diaspora in the Russian Federation as a channel for the preservation, transmission and distribution of traditional values of Tajikistan.

Harmonization of media legislation in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union as a factor of information security
Authors: Vikhrova O. Yu., Gorlova Ya. S.
Journal: Issues of theory and practice of journalism
Year of publication: 2022
Publisher: Baikal State University
Location of the publishing house: Russia

The article substantiates the need to harmonize the national legislations of the EAEU countries regulating the activities of the media in order to ensure information security in the post-Soviet space in the context of aggravation of international geopolitical conflicts and intensification of information warfare. The authors identify the least legislatively developed aspects of media space regulation, which include the conceptual framework, regulation of social media and copyright on social media platforms. The main legislative acts regulating the activities of mass media in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union are analyzed The analysis revealed discrepancies in legislation, including requirements for media registration and accreditation of journalists, the use of language in the media, the supremacy of international treaties, as well as indications of the possibilities of international cooperation in the field of mass media. Possible directions of work on harmonization of the federal and republican legislations of the member states at the national and supranational levels are formulated. Various harmonization options are proposed, including the compilation of a single reference glossary of key concepts, model laws and a unifying "code" of legal norms for the States of the Union. An assumption has been made about the expediency of step-by-step harmonization using various tools.

Theorizing Russian model of the digital divide
Authors: Vartanova E. L., Gladkova A. A., Lapin D. A., Samorodova E. V., Vikhrova O. Yu.
Journal: World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies
Year of publication: 2021
Publishing house: Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University
Location of the publishing house: Russia
The paper approaches digital divide as a complex multi-dimensional and multi-level problem, not being limited to the Internet access only. We argue that regardless of some universal trends previously identified by scholars, every country retains its national specifics in ICT access, skills and benefits people can get from using ICTs. In this vein, we theorize Russian model of the digital divide, approaching it through three main angles: state regulation of digitalization processes in Russia on federal and regional levels; different modes of the digital technology use in a cross-regional comparative perspective; and specific mechanisms for the analysis and further overcoming digital divide in Russia. For the latter point, we propose a ‘digital passport’ of the Russian regions that allows for better understanding of the digitalization progress in particular regions of the country and for more efficient policy-making on site. Lastly, we test a ‘digital passport’ model on eight federal subjects of Russia to show its applicability of the study of the digital divide in different regional contexts.

Media literacy as a condition for overcoming digital inequality in the Russian Federation
Authors: Vartanova E. L., Vikhrova O. Yu., Samorodova E. V.
Journal: Mediascope (electronic journal)
Number: 1
Year of publication: 2021

The article presents the results of a two-stage study aimed at identifying the key problems associated with the existence of digital inequality in the Russian Federation and considering the process of increasing media literacy of the population, which, according to the authors, is one of the most important conditions for overcoming it. In order to identify priority areas for eliminating digital inequality in the regions of the Russian Federation, a content analysis of the texts of topical 2020 thematic state programs of the subjects was carried out.

The legislation of the EAEU in terms of integration prospects abstracts of the report
Author: Vikhrova O. Y.
Collection: Actual problems of media research — 2022. XII International Scientific and Practical Conference by US: Conference materials
Year of publication: 2022
Publishing house: Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University
Location of the publishing house: Russia

Digital inequality in the reflection of state programs of the subjects of the Russian Federation
Author: Vikhrova O. Y.
Collection: Actual problems of media research — 2020. X International Scientific and Practical Conference of NAMMI: Conference materials
Year of publication: 2020
Publishing house: Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University
Location of the publishing house: Russia

The changing ethnic news media landscapes: implications of technological convergence in multicultural Pakistan and Russia
Authors: Jamil S., Gladkova A. A., Vartanova E. L.
Journal: Journal of Multicultural discourses
Year of publication: 2023

Media representation of ethnic minorities and communities is important in multicultural societies that reflect ethnic cultural diversity. Therefore, the role of ethnic news media becomes crucial to give voices to marginalized communities, especially in the digital age when their cultural practices, issues and concerns can reach faster beyond the national territories. With technological advancements, ethnic news media practices are also transforming. Ethnic journalists, like their colleagues from mainstream news media, now use integrated digital tools to produce and disseminate news. However, quite less is known about how technology-driven changes are reshaping the ethnic news media landscape, and if such developments have any implications to strengthen the communicative power and representation of ethnic communities in culturally pluralistic societies. Informed by the framework of technological convergence and cultural discourse studies (CDS), this study investigates the key implications of technological convergence in Pakistan’s and Russia’s ethnic news media.

Current and future events

24.10.2024–25.10.2024. Sixteenth international scientific readings in Moscow "Media and Mass Communications-2024"
Sixteenth international scientific readings in Moscow “Media and Mass Communications-2024”. Digital media systems: making sense of the past and exploring the future
Organizer: Faculty of Journalism of M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
With the participation of the Union of Journalism Education of Universities of China and Russia, the Association of Journalists of Russia and Africa, the National Association of Mass Media Researchers (NAMMI)
Date: October 24-25, 2024
Format: hybrid

Modern comparative media studies form a multifaceted scientific field in which media systems are considered as a set of industry segments, as well as the historical, political, commercial, legal, governmental and cultural conditions of their work. For a number of reasons, the trend in recent years is that various national media systems are acquiring similar features. Among the influencing factors are digitalization, globalization, shifts in national media cultures, the growing commercialization of the media industry, changing government regulations and other processes. If previously the media systems of countries and regions of the world had clear boundaries and fit one or another specific model of description, now they are changing, developing and in many aspects becoming closer to each other.
As part of this year's Moscow Readings, it is proposed to discuss the systemic sustainability of journalism in general and the media of individual countries in comparison. Special attention at the upcoming conference is proposed to be paid to the development of new criteria for analyzing media systems, taking into account the changing roles of journalists in different countries and different segments of the industry, as well as taking into account the growing influence of digital journalism on society.

Abstracts (from 300 to 500 words) in doc format. or docx. in Russian or English are accepted at moscow.readings@mail.ru until September 1, 2024.

Registration fees
There is no registration fee, but any possible expenses are covered by the participants themselves.

Publications following the conference
Based on the results of the conference, a collection of abstracts (RSCI) will be published. The authors of the best reports will be offered the opportunity to publish in the journals Bulletin of Moscow University. Series 10. Journalism (core of RSCI, Scopus, Web of Science) and World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies (core of the RSCI, Scopus).

The sixteenth international scientific readings in Moscow will be organized in a hybrid format. We are looking forward to meeting in October 2024 and invite you to come to us in Moscow or join online from anywhere in the world.

Contact Information
Email: moscow.readings@mail.ru

JOURNALISM IN 2024: CREATIVITY, PROFESSION, INDUSTRY

The UNESCO Chair of Journalism and Mass Communication invites you to the section "Media Ethics in the Eurasian space: Challenges of artificial Intelligence", which will be held as part of the annual international scientific and practical conference "Journalism in 2024: creativity, profession, industry". The event will take place in February 2025 at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The conference will be devoted to modern problems of journalism theory and practice and will be held in a hybrid format. Registration for the event will open later.

Detailed information is available on the faculty's website: http://www.journ.msu.ru.
The application for participation in the section"Media Ethics in the Eurasian space: Challenges of artificial Intelligence" and abstracts (1 page, 14 size, single spacing, Times New Roman) are accepted by e-mail vikhrova.unesco@gmail.com. The subject of the letter is "Journalism in 2024". In the application, you must specify the full name, position, place of work, academic degree, title, and contact information.Each participant can submit no more than one thesis (including co-authored abstracts).

The program is subject to changes, follow the announcements on the official website of the Faculty of Journalism http://www.journ.msu.ru

Past events

THE AGENDA OF SOCIAL MEDIA: THE EFFECTS OF «BROKEN» COMMUNICATION AND THE POLARISATION OF MEDIA CULTURE IN RUSSIA (THE CASE OF «DIGITAL YOUTH»)
Head of research: Dunas D. V.
Responsible performers: Vartanov S. A., Tolokonnikova A. V., Filatkina G. S.
Research participants: Babyna D. A., Boyko O. A., Vyugina D. M., Gladkova A. A., Gureeva A. N., Salikhova E. A.
Due date: April 1, 2022 – April 1, 2024

The report raises the issue of the effect of "broken" communication, which arises in the absence of a unified agenda. The diversity of media practices and models of media consumption of the audience – especially youth – leads to the coexistence of a variety of diverse media agendas serving the interests of communities rather than national audiences. In conditions of "gaps" in social communication, contradictions and conflicts of a polarized media culture, threats to the balance of society, its stability and security arise. The "club system" of online communities can provoke radicalism, extremism and other sociocultural threats.

II INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF JOURNALISTS FROM RUSSIA AND AFRICA
On April 18, with the participation of members of the UNESCO Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Second International Forum of Russian and African Journalists, dedicated to the anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum on Information Cooperation between Russian and African journalists, was held. Signed on May 3, 2023, the Memorandum approves the creation of the Association of Journalists of Russia and Africa and contributes to the development of strategies for cooperation in the field of media of the two continents.
The participants tried to formulate a common vision of development strategies in various directions, including in the field of creating joint media projects, establishing partnerships within the framework of the Association of Journalists of Russia and Africa.
In addition, the Russian-African Club has planned to launch a promising project – an international competition for Russian and African journalists dedicated to the 225th anniversary of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.
The event was organized by the Russian-African Club in partnership with the Faculty of Journalism and the Faculty of Global Processes of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCH: FROM INFORMATION SECURITY OF SOCIETY TO HUMAN PROTECTION
Authors: Vartanova E. L., Puyu A. S.
Date: April 18, 2024.

St. Petersburg State University announced the winners of the Nevsky Prize in the field of journalism and mass communications studies. Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Elena Leonidovna Vartanova received the prize in the category "Theory". The prize is awarded for published works that are a major contribution to research, scientific, methodological and popularization work. The scientific forum brought together more than three hundred media researchers from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Serbia, the USA and Uzbekistan.

International Moscow Readings Conference 2021

Dates: 18–19 November 2021
Organizer: Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University
Co-sponsor: International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)
In partnership with:

• IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group
• IAMCR Communication in Post- and Neo-Authoritarian Societies Working Group
• IAMCR Journalism Research and Education Section
• UNESCO chair in communication
• European Journalism Training Association
• The Global Risk Journalism Hub
• National Association of Mass Media Researchers

Local organizing and program committees are headed by Professor Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education, President of the National Association of Mass Media Researchers

Today, historical transformations affecting media industries and production such as digitalization, consolidation, deregulation and related trends identified by scholars long ago (Hamelink, 1998) amplify and accelerate due to new disruptive processes influencing media work on a global scale. This includes the rapid growth of platform power and platform convergence, the emergence of telecommunications giants as competitors in the content market, and growing concerns about sustainability of the news industry and journalism as a profession in this context (Deuze, & Prenger, 2019; Meese, 2021). It is not just media practitioners who are facing a rapidly and profoundly changing context: people's lives around the world have become agitated by the compounding effects of digital shifts and social upheaval, especially considering deepening digital inequalities and algorithmic divides (Ragnedda, 2020). An increasing dependence on Internet and computing technologies became evident during the global coronavirus crisis and triggered a discussion about the stability – or liquidity – of the world around us.

A crucial change of institutions we observe today is clear: media and policies are changing, legacy linear media are giving floor to non-linear new media, user engagement and participation through social media platforms, including what is perceived today as dark participation (Quandt, 2018) are growing. Everything becomes in a way blurry, liquid and uncertain: professional routines, practices, roles, perceptions, possibly even norms and values. As a result, we find ourselves living in a liquid society where uncertainty, flux, change, conflict, and revolution become permanent conditions of everyday life (Bauman, 2000; Deuze, 2004). This feeling of uncertainty has been intensified in recent pandemic times, when people, companies and institutions had to quickly migrate to online, re-structure their professional and personal routines, and learn to live in the new pandemic/post-pandemic world.

At this year's conference we welcome discussions about uncertainty as a new challenge for journalism and the society, and the new opportunities uncertain/liquid modernity can offer to people, media, institutions, and industries. We will discuss the impact Covid-19 pandemic had upon all spheres of our life – social, economic, cultural, political, academic and others, looking at how journalism in different countries reacted and adapted to these new challenges and risks. We will also discuss new digital gaps and inequalities that arose in the pandemic and post-pandemic world in terms of journalism education, unequal access to information, digital/social inclusion, information security, among other things. Theoretical and empirical papers are both welcome, with preference during selection process being given to papers with solid methodological base and original approach.

Questions for discussion

• Communication in the times of uncertainty: practices and tendencies
• Journalism and the Covid-19 pandemic: new challenges and risks
• Digital individuals, groups and organizations
• The rise of new digital cultures
• New players and actors in digital communication
• New journalistic roles in the times of uncertainty and change
• Media and communication policies in the digital age
• Liquid journalism and liquid modernity
• Risk journalism in the times of the global crises
• Digital inclusion / social inclusion: correlations and interdependencies
• Digital journalism: new practices, forms, methods, audiences
• Information security in the digital age
• Mediating conflicts: the role of mass media

Special sections:

• IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group
• IAMCR Communication in Post- and Neo-Authoritarian Societies Working Group
• IAMCR Journalism Research and Education Section
• UNESCO chair in communication
• European Journalism Training Association
• The Global Risk Journalism Hub
• National Association of Mass Media Researchers

Abstracts (between 300 and 500 words) in .doc or .docx in English or Russian, including author(s) name(s) and affiliation(s) should be sent to moscow.readings@mail.ru before 18 October 2021

Submissions to the special sections should be sent as regular submissions. Please add a note in your abstract saying that this submission should be considered by a particular special section (title).

Registration fee
Moscow Readings conference does not have conference registration fee, although all costs will have to covered either by the home institution or by the presenters themselves.

Publishing opportunities
Best papers will be considered for publication in peer-reviewed Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika (Scopus, Web of Science) and World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies (Scopus). The 13th Moscow Readings conference will be organized as a live virtual conference. We are looking forward to meeting you at the virtual platform in November 2021.

Contact details
Contact email: moscow.readings@mail.ru
Phone number: +7 (495) 629 52 76
Contact person: Anna Gladkova, secretary of the Moscow Readings conference organizing committee

The Faculty of Journalism, MSU held the 12th International Media Readings 'Mass Media and Communications 2020' in Moscow

The topic of this year's conference was 'De-Westernizing Media and Cultural Studies: New Discourse Practices in the Digital World'. The event was supported by the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation. The partners of the conference were the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group, IAMCR Communication in Post- and Neo-Authoritarian Societies Working Group, UNESCO chair for communication, National Association of Mass Media Researchers (NAMMI). Due to the current situation in the world, the event was organized in online format.

On the first day of the conference, the Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education Professor Elena Vartanova and President of IAMCR Professor Nico Carpentier greeted the participants, drawing the audience's attention to the importance of maintaining international scholar relations despite the limitations of the pandemic. Under such conditions, the role of media is particularly important, and thus the importance and responsibility of media researchers are also growing.

The first plenary session was opened with a presentation by Oscar Westlund, Professor of Oslo Metropolitan University, Volda University College and University of Gothenburg. Professor Weslund, as Editor-in-Chief of the 'Digital Journalism' journal spoke about the publication principles of the journal and invited Russian colleagues to submit their articles to 'Digital Journalism'.

The session continued with a presentation by Professor of Hong Kong Baptist University Daya K. Thussu. The speaker talked about the polycentric nature of the modern world and its effects on the global media space and journalistic practices around the world.

The plenary session of the first day was concluded by a presentation give by Shi-xu, Professor of Hangzhou Normal University, author of the concept of cultural and discourse studies and Editor-in-Chief of 'Journal of Multicultural Discourses'.

The plenary session on November 20 also included speeches by leading media researchers. Professor Elena Vartanova shared the results of her work devoted to youth media consumption of content in social networks and the development of a new digital culture. Professor of the Westminster University Andrea Medrado presented the project of the intersection of art and science, dedicated to the problems of the Global South. The report of Professor of Nanyang Technological University Gerard Goggin described the specifics of digital platforms in the Asian region. Finally, Professor of Loughborough University Sabina Mihelj demonstrated an extensive empirical study on communication strategies of the Global South media during the pandemic.

In addition to plenary sessions, the conference featured 22 thematic sessions, including special panel sessions:

Digital, social, and cultural divides: interrelations and interdependencies (moderated by Professor Elena Vartanova and Dr. Anna Gladkova),

Digital safety of journalists in the Global South (moderated by Dr. Sadia Jamil),

Ethnic Journalism in the Global South (moderated by Dr. Anna Gladkova and Dr. Sadia Jamil),

Media and communication in post- and neo-authoritarian societies: global trends, local formats (moderated by Dr. Anastasia Grusha and Dr. Katja Lehtisaari),

Media communication between the state and youth in Russia (moderated by Dr. Anna Gureeva),

Digital Culture of Media Consumption: Theoretical Approaches and Practices of Young Russians (moderated by Dr. Denis Dunas).

More than 150 speakers took part in plenary and thematic sessions, and a total of more than two hundred people from 25 countries attended the online conference.

The Faculty of Journalism (Lomonosov Moscow State University) is located at

Mokhovaya Street, building 9, 109955, Moscow, Russia

UNESCO Chair web-page on the UNESCO-Orbicom site:
https://orbicom.ca/russia-moscow/

To get in touch with UNESCO Chair please write an email to the following address:

Email: unesco.chair.journ@gmail.com
Vikhrova.unesco@gmail.com

Contact person: Olga Vikhrova