Dates: 24-25 October 2024
Scholars have been discussing a ‘systemic turn’ in media systems studies, with various branches of systems theory being applied to media studies in a sound way. As a result of ‘homogenization’ of media systems, there emerged a discussion about new criteria for cross-country comparisons, more relevant for today’s social, economic and cultural contexts. Digital journalism(s) have been approached as a major new comparative criterion, rethinking and challenging nation-state as the level of analysis. Post-COVID realities and new geopolitical challenges have been clearly influencing media systems as well. In this new context, there is a growing need to discuss what media systems today are, how they can be analyzed, interpreted and compared. At the Moscow Readings 2024 conference, we welcome a discussion about systemic stability of journalism as a whole and in regard to cross-country comparisons. We encourage scholars to suggest new criteria for media system analysis, drawing attention, among other things, towards changing journalistic roles across nations and media segments, and the impact of digital journalism(s) upon media performance.