Global conflicts are increasingly documented and covered by people outside of the journalistic mainstream: locally hired media professionals, remote open-source investigators, local eyewitnesses, activists, and data publics. Together, they create complex and heterogeneous ecosystems. These groups have diverse goals, kinds of proximity to the war, and work with varying sets of values and fact-finding procedures.
In this two-day hybrid workshop, we bring together 1) ‘foreign’ and ‘local’ media professionals covering wars and conflicts – mainly the Russo-Ukrainian War; 2) NGOs and open-source investigators documenting and archiving human rights violations in the Russo-Ukrainian War; and 3) academics to share their work, insights, and experience, and to discuss the ethics of collaboration among these various groups of actors in conflicts.
- When: 12 and 13 October 2023
- Where: Voxpop (Amsterdam) and online
- Registration policy: Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. To register, please send an email to J.Kotisova@uva.nl and indicate whether you want to join us remotely or in person. For student registration, scroll down.
- Language: English
Program
12 October: Fixers, Stringers, and Foreign Crews. The Distribution of Risks and Emotions in Conflict Reporting
- 10:00 Welcome
- 10:15 Film screening and talk (title TBA)
- Yaroslava Tymoshchuk (Ukrainian journalist and editor)
- 12:00 Break
- 13:15 Fixers & Stringers: Research findings in a nutshell
- Johana Kotišová (University of Amsterdam / Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- 14:15 Break
- 14:30 Well-being and Collaboration in War Reporting: A participatory session on best practices
- Opening remarks: Koen Vidal (De Standaard), Natalia Vlasenko (fixer/journalist), Anton Skyba (The Globe and Mail), Andrii Kolesnyk (fixer/journalist), Oleksandra Hrybenko (OsloMet). Intro: Johana Kotišová (University of Amsterdam / Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- 16:00 Break
- 16:15 Local Media Professionals in Conflict Zones: Research insights
- Dariya Orlova (The Mohyla School of Journalism), Noah Amir Arjomand (University of California), Oleksandra Hrybenko (OsloMet). Intro: Koen Vidal (De Standaard)
- 17:45 Closure
13 October: Data Publics and the Information Front. Open Source Cultures Investigating Russia’s War on Ukraine
- 9:15 Welcome
- 9:30 Data Publics and the Information Front: Research agenda
- Lonneke van der Velden (University of Amsterdam)
- 9:50 Open Source Investigation Cultures
- Opening talks: Ella McPherson (University of Cambridge), Solomiia Stasiv (Archives of War), Dalila Mujagic (Witness), Annique Mossou (Bellingcat). Intro: Guillén Torres Sepulveda (University of Amsterdam)
- 10:50 Short break & a break-out session
- 12:00 Closing student reflections. Intro: Daria Delavar-Kasmai (MA graduate, University of Amsterdam)
- 12:45 Break
- 14:00 Knowledge Production in Times of War: A roundtable
- Míla O’Sullivan (Institute of International Relations Prague), Tereza Hendl (Augsburg University / Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich), Tanya Lokot (Dublin City University). Intro: Olga Burlyuk (University of Amsterdam)
- 15:30 Closure
Organizers
- Johana Kotišová, Faculty of Humanities, Media Studies (J.Kotisova@uva.nl)
- Lonneke van der Velden, Faculty of Humanities, Media Studies (L.C.vanderVelden@uva.nl)
- Olga Burlyuk, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Political Science
- Guillén Torres Sepulveda, Faculty of Humanities, Media Studies
Are you a student?
If you are a ResMA student or a Ph.D. candidate affiliated with a Dutch university, you can gain 1 ECTS by participating in the seminar and fulfilling credit requirements. Please register by 4 October by sending an email J.Kotisova@uva.nl (indicate that you want to register as a student and whether you want to join us remotely or in person). Conditions for obtaining ECTS:
- Attendance, reading (approx. 8 hours), preparation (1 hour), and active participation in the closing session on 13 October.
- Assigned reading and further instructions will be announced after the registration deadline.
Funding
This event has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 887406.
We also thank the following sponsors: Global Digital Cultures (GDC), Amsterdam Centre for European Studies (ACES), Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA), and Netherlands Insitute for Cultural Analysis (NICA).
