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Call for Papers: Journal of Digital Media & Policy 

Special Issue: Digital Media, Public Policy and Covid-19 

The Covid-19 pandemic presents a challenge for researchers in various fields, including medicine, business and multi-lateral organisations. Yet, it also heightens the challenges facing media and communications organisations and journalists, including trust and information accuracy. In a time of uncertainty, digital media play a crucial role in shaping public policy, informing the public with useful, checked and scrutinized stories, reliable headlines and continuous updates. Media organizations proactively educate and inform the public, support public information campaigns and highlight what would need to happen in a national emergency. Yet, a pressing issue with modern-day, online media is the spread of misinformation not only in political and social spheres but also in healthcare. Governments, civil society organizations, media firms themselves and the general public can join forces for accurate and timely information-sharing, and meanwhile can prove to be highly effective for policy-making. Critically, new initiatives are springing from international, regional and national contexts, often in response to problems of harmful content and behaviour. However, critical questions need to be addressed concerning the accountability, inclusivity and diversity of these strategies. 

This special issue considers the role of digital media in forming public policy in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. The special issue brings together scholars of communication and media, political economics, policy and technology to debate the many ways in which media governance is taking shape worldwide. The special issue is tightly held together on industry and communication policy. 

Therefore, contributors are invited to address issues such as: 

• digital media policies, especially policy on Covid-19 in different national and regional contexts

• governments’ interactions with media organizations and platforms 

• suitable controls in emergencies, including Covid-19

• policies to balance information and freedom of expression with misinformation and rumours • implications for future public policy. 

Deadlines Abstracts of 400 words to be received by Monday 25 May 2020, and full manuscripts of 6–8,000 words, including refs, by Friday 4 September 2020 in order to be sent out for review. Peer-reviewed manuscripts will need to be with the Editors by Friday 9 October 2020 and final decisions/articles to be sent to the publisher by Tuesday 1 December 2020. 

All submissions should be sent via email attachment to the guest editors. 

We will also consider relevant short articles and commentaries with a policy focus of between 1,500–2,000 words.

For more information about the Call for Papers, click here >> https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/48232/1/CfP_JDMP_may_2020.pdf