‍ ‍

UDC 2026 Conference Theme: Media, Press Freedom, and Cultural Production in an Authoritarian Age

The Union for Democratic Communications, Project Censored, and the Park Center for Independent Media, in a spirit of collaboration and coalition-building, seek to bring together activists, artists, researchers, and legislators to foster critical approaches that support reimagining an infrastructure rich in equitable and democratic possibilities, where a healthy media ecosystem can thrive. We invite communication researchers, journalists, cultural producers, policy analysts, academics, and activists to submit abstracts that examine our theme, Media, Press Freedom, and Cultural Production in an Authoritarian Age.

Founded in 1976, Project Censored celebrates its 50th Anniversary in an era of misinformation, where press freedom and media independence are under unprecedented attack. At this critical juncture, Project Censored’s advocacy for freedom of the press, media literacy and critical thinking, and the Union for Democratic Communications’ critical analysis of communications industries and the fight to democratize them are more crucial than ever. Together, we are proud to co-host the conference “Media, Press Freedom and the Fight for Democracy in an Authoritarian Age,” October 23-24 2026, at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.

UDC, which held its first conference in 1981, has worked to overcome concentrated political-economic power in order to contribute to a world based on economic justice, equality, and peace. Project Censored, founded in 1976, has made its mission to expose and counteract modern-day censorship. Launched in 2008, the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College is a national center for the study of independent media focusing on news outlets that create and distribute content outside of corporate systems. Together, UDC, Project Censored and the Park Center for Independent Media hope to contribute to a more democratic society and world by sharing our scholarly and activist projects.

UDC and Project Censored conferences have long spotlighted the march toward totalitarianism--we now find ourselves in it. The historical present is marked by an expansion of violent imperialism and genocide, accelerating climate and ecological crises, the silencing and criminalization of dissent, censorship and government control over the press, the globalized spread of mis- and disinformation, and a pandemic spread of oligarchic capitalism.

All this is being sustained by an oligopolistic media system whose ready acquiescence to the Trump regime’s preferences reflects that our communications channels have been co-opted to support an increasingly repressive state. Government interference in free speech and media autonomy is no longer covert, as the U.S. president regularly threatens media outlets, creatives, and journalists critical of his administration. An increasingly consolidated industry has enormous interest in serving the political aims of authoritarian governments in the US and abroad, as mergers have wrought historic levels of consolidation of media power and wealth at a global scale.

Our shrinking media ecosystem has led to a drastic shift in which voices are considered prominent and whose voices count and matter. It has become increasingly difficult to garner visibility through algorithmic bias and inequity. Privilege has unfairly been afforded to content that promotes increased levels of hate, violence, and division. Content from independent news outlets reporting critically on issues of war and peace, civil liberties, economic inequality, racial and gender oppression, and environmental degradation are being greylisted or blocked entirely.  Meta, TikTok, Google, and Amazon, among others, continue to be vehicles which enable the few to hold the majority in this bid for control. Platforms that were championed as arenas for social gathering and understanding have now been co-opted as agents under an authoritarian regime.

Media platforms are increasingly central to shaping contemporary political discourse and are not neutral actors but remain embedded within capitalist, elite-dominated political economic systems. As such, these infrastructures enable reactionary  political projects and the circulation of extremist content, leading to further societal division. These tech monopolies have contributed significantly to sowing the seeds of discord, distrust, and discontent.

Through these attacks, we continue to see the decimation of public trust and the erosion of democracy through the erasure of local stories and voices and the muzzling of the press. This has produced what Naomi Klein describes as a “mirror world”: a parallel version of our reality, where distrust of institutions and authority are mobilized in the service of authoritarian interests. As mainstream and publicly funded media outlets and the legacy press are decimated, independent media is more important than ever. However,the mirror world presents challenges to the definition and political implications of “independent media.” The spaces for distribution, such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are owned by reactionaries, and algorithmic logics work in the interest of the Silicon Valley techno-fascists to incubate far-right subcultures and figures.

Now, we must ask how do we protect what is left of democratic communication[s]? How do we sustain our social movements in the fight of/for our lives?

More information on our co-sponsors Project Censored and the Park Center for Independent Media by clicking on their links. Submissions will open on May 1 and close on July 5.

We encourage you to share this call to help ensure myriad and diverse voices can be in conversation with one another and enrich our time together.

Topics may also include, but are not limited to:

• Critical communication pedagogy

• Race, class, gender, feminisms, indigeneity

• Media literacy and critical media theory

• “Fake news,” disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy

• Forms of propaganda

• Censorship and attacks on press freedom

• AI and the media

• Debt, precarity, austerity

• Immigration, refugees and migrants

• Intersectionality, CRT, racial capitalism

• Imperialism, colonialism/post-colonialism and/or the primitive accumulation of capital

• Slavery, incarceration and detention

• Arts, culture, and preservation

• Neo-fascism

• Alt-global visions

• Left-state alternatives

• Media reform and communication policy

• The neoliberal assault on higher education, radical scholars, and academic freedom

• The state of education, childcare, eldercare, and healthcare in the U.S. and beyond

• Militarism, genocide, femicide, war, conflict, erasure

• Eco media and communication

• Surveillance and data collection

• Media workers, labor and unions

• Cultural studies and critical studies of cultural policy

Individual Submissions

Abstracts for papers should be 400-700 words.

Enhancing Chance of Acceptance for Individual Submission:

• Don’t reveal your identity in the title, abstract, or cover page

• Make sure your abstract relates to either the conference theme or the organization’s mission (and ideally, to both)

• Describe clearly and concisely (400-700 words) what your submission does.

• Make sure it is well-edited.

Abstracts for Panels, Workshop, Working Groups, and Roundtables should be around 700 words and include the following:

• One submitter, ideally the session organizer, submits an overall abstract for the panel, workshop, etc.

• The abstract should also include presentation titles and their presenters

• All panelists should also be listed as authors on the data page following the submission of the abstract

• Make sure all abstracts relate to either the conference theme or the organization’s mission (and ideally, to both)

Deadlines, Dates & How to Submit

• Abstracts due by July 5

• Notification of acceptance: Aim to distribute by July 19

• Applications for travel award due: July 31

• Application for the Brian Murphy Student Paper Award due: July 31

• Early-bird registration begins: May 1

• General registration begins: August 1

Conference Details

• Dates: October 22 - 24

• Location: Ithaca College, NY.

• Hosts: Park Center for Independent Media and Project Censored

We look forward to reviewing your submissions. Please be on the lookout for additional conference information, awards, and logistics. Please save the date and know that we look forward to gathering everyone at Ithaca College in October.

Graduate students should submit full papers and abstracts to be considered for the Brian Murphy Student Paper Award.

• Submit de-identified papers to support@democraticcomm.org. Include “Brian Murphy Student Paper” and title of the paper in the subject line

• All submissions are given a double-blind review.

You can find ongoing conference information on this website or at any of our social media accounts:

1. Bluesky: @uniondemcomm.bsky.social

2. Twitter: https://x.com/udc2025

3. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theUDC/