#CheckCon 2017 in Beirut!
#CheckCon Beirut, April 20-22, 2017
Rethinking the interplay between media, tech & social change in post-2011 MENA
January 25, 2017 marks the sixth anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. While Syria’s and Yemen’s wars, Libya’s political uncertainties, and Egypt’s rising authoritarianism have made some doubt the significance and legacies of the 2011 Arab uprisings, now is a good time to convene and assess the future of media, technology and social impact in the MENA region.
The conference builds on five years of work on the Check project in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, the US and the UK, and brings together everyone who has contributed to the project since 2011, including speakers and participants from Check partners’ network.
Participation on Thursday and Friday of CheckCon (April 20-21, 2017) is by invitation only. If you are interested in attending, please email me <dima.saber@bcu.ac.uk> & see the CfP below.
Participation on Saturday of CheckCon (April 22, 2017) is open to the public, and will be run as an ‘Unconference’. Registration is through Eventbrite.
You can submit a pitch to the CheckCon Unconference at the bottom of this wiki.
We are offering up to 5 bursaries for successful submissions to this CfP. If you know someone who would be interested in submitting a proposal, please feel free to share with them the call below:
CfP – Deadline for submissions March 1, 2017
#CheckCon Beirut, April 20-22, 2017
Rethinking the interplay between media, tech and social change in post-2011 MENA
CheckCon aims to bring together grassroots media collectives, digital technology enthusiasts, professional journalists, and media students & scholars from across the Arab region to reflect on the experiences, successes, challenges and lessons learnt since 2011. The conference builds on five years of work on the Check project in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, the US and the UK, and brings together everyone who has contributed to the project since 2011, including speakers and participants from Check partners’ network.
We invite proposals of papers, presentations, workshops and performances that explore and address topics such as:
- The human, social, economic and political legacies of the 2011 Arab uprisings
- The relation between digital media and social change in the MENA
- The role of the media (mainstream and alternative) in the coverage of revolutions, conflicts, displacements and social turmoil
- Fact-checking and the importance of investigative reporting in the age of media convergence
- Ways in which digital technologies can help raise awareness of and address the challenges posed by conflict and rising authoritarianism
- The interplay between digital technologies, ethics and the media representation of wars, refugees and forced displacements
- The future of digital technologies amidst the Arab region’s political and social uncertainties
We are offering up to five bursaries for speakers, covering travel costs and accommodation in Beirut, and welcome proposals from academic and non-academic practitioners, from activists and from professional journalists, in both Arabic and English.
Please send 250 words proposals, including a title and short bio to Dima Saber <dima.saber@bcu.ac.uk> and Tom Trewinnard <tom@meedan.com> by March 1, 2017. Successful candidates will be notified by March 10 to arrange for travel and accommodation.