April 19, 2018

World Press Freedom Day Public Event: 3 May 2018

DEMOCRACY & GOVERNANCE RESEARCH AND ANALYSISMEDIA POLICY & QUALITY RESEARCH AND ANALYSISMedia Release
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Are the media helping us escape our echo chambers?

Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) and the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) invite you to celebrate World Press Freedom Day with us in Johannesburg.

As we celebrate World Press Freedom Day this year, the various threats to media freedom continue and in some cases, are increasing. One of these, which is an often under-estimated element in this system, is the way in which people access information. In our new globalized digital context, the types of news, stories and content that the public consume are increasingly shaped by social media and their somewhat unnoticed algorithms. Research across the world shows how this new environment means that people are more and more only receiving news tailored by their online preferences. Our question then becomes: what role do these entities have in shaping the type of media we consume? More importantly, what role do media play in ensuring that they help expand audience echo chambers?

Join us as we share some of our research into the dodgy news landscape in South Africa as well as host a riveting panel discussion highlighting what the media can do to improve this state of affairs.

Speakers to be confirmed.

Date: Thursday 3 May 2018

Time: 18h00 for 18h30 until 20h00 followed by refreshments

Venue: Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, 18 Cedar Ave Richmond, JHB

RSVP: https://worldpressfreedomday.splashthat.com/

Event will stream live on Facebook: @MediaMattersza and you can follow the conversation on Twitter @MediaMattersza using #WorldPressFreedomDay

For more details, you can also contact:
Sarah Findlay or William Bird
Tel: 011 788 1278
Email: sarahf@mma.org.za or williamb@mma.org.za