The Enhancing Impartiality Symposium 2027
Rethinking Impartiality, Objectivity and Political Balance in News
The impartiality, objectivity and political balance of news remain among the most contested issues in journalism research and public debate. Accusations of media bias are now routinely amplified through online and social media, often via isolated clips and excerpts that circulate far beyond their original context. Yet despite the prominence of these debates, there remains limited conceptual clarity within scholarship and relatively little systematic evidence about how these principles are understood, measured and applied across different media systems and over time.
As part of our Cardiff University AHRC-funded research project on media impartiality, we are organising an independent event on the eve of the ICA 2027 conference at the University of Glasgow on 3 June 2027. We invite papers that explore how impartiality, objectivity, balance, fairness and related concepts are understood, theorised, operationalised and evaluated in journalism research and practice.
We are particularly keen to support early career researchers working in this area. A limited number of UK travel bursaries will be available to help ECRs attend. You do not need to be attending the 2027 ICA conference to take part in this independent event, which will be held on the eve of the conference.
We anticipate space for approximately 15-20 paper presentations, alongside wider attendance and discussion. To express interest in presenting, we ask for a 500-word abstract outlining the proposed paper. If sufficient high-quality submissions are received, we will explore opportunities for a special issue in a leading journalism journal based on papers presented at the event.
We are not opening formal registration yet. Registration and abstract submission details will be circulated in January 2027, once prospective participants have greater clarity about their ICA plans. For now, if you are interested in presenting a paper, attending the event, or simply learning more, please complete the form below to help us gauge interest and plan accordingly.
We would be grateful if colleagues could share this call with interested academics, researchers, ECRs and doctoral students.