Wednesday, 06 September 2023
A new centre that will focus research on disinformation in the media and the freedom of reporting is set to be launched at the University of Nottingham later this month.
The Centre for Media, Politics and Communications Research (CMPCR) is a joint venture from the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Social Sciences.
After securing funding at the end of June for the launch of the centre, academics across both faculties will explore the often fraught but important relationship between media and politics. The initial focus will be on the risks and potential benefits of artificial intelligence, the persuasive use of political storytelling, and other issues related to the spread of disinformation.
The centre will run seminars with leading experts these topics and develop new research. It hopes to involve students and increase general public engagement in these debates, including the need for media literacy skills needed to navigate the risks of disinformation and misinformation.
Dr Natalie Martin, Assistant Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations, said: "The ability of distort information and manipulate opinions is getting easier and easier. And we have yet to see the extent of how artificial intelligence will make this even easier - and faster.
At the same time, the ability to trust information and ‘the news’ is central to liberal democracy - and this is being undermined. This is a local as well as a national and international issue. Research into this area is crucial and the new research centre will fill this gap - and raise awareness of the issues involved."
The centre will be launched on 20 September with a public lecture at the Nottingham Contemporary art gallery from Eliot Higgins, Honorary Fellow at the University of Nottingham, and founder of Bellingcat, an independent investigative organisation which has pioneered the use of open-source intelligence.
Higgins will explain how Bellingcat use freely available online tools to verify claims about the Ukraine conflict, expose disinformation and provide some clarity in the fog of war. Bellingcat’s record of providing evidence that can be used in court, this work is also crucial to gather evidence for future war crimes prosecutions.
Dr Jen Birks, Associate Professor of Media in the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies, said: “In the digital age, it is not that good information is not available, but that there are so many claims and counterclaims that it is hard for us to tell the good information from the bad. Indeed, much current propaganda is not even designed to persuade, but to muddy the waters enough that people give up on the idea of being able to find out what is really true.
“Our choice of Eliot Higgins as speaker to launch the research centre and kick off its annual public lecture series, reflects our ambition for the CMPCR’s work to ultimately empower the public to make well-informed judgements. His work is inspirational – showing us what we can do with the information at our fingertips, as well as training journalists in the cutting edge of verification.”
More information on the public lecture is available here.
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Natalie Martin at natalie.martin1@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
Location: University of Nottingham, University Park
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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