The Department of Communication Studies was represented at the 75th annual conference of the International Communication Association (ICA)which took place this year in Denver, USA, with several contributions.

The ICA is one of the world’s leading academic conferences in the field of communication and media studies. It brings together researchers, teachers and experts from all over the world to discuss current topics, present research findings and actively shape the future of the discipline. The 2025 conference was held under the motto “ICA 75 – Looking Back, Forging Ahead” and marked the 75th anniversary of the organization.

Thomas Birkner, Head of the Division Journalism research, was active on several occasions. Together with his international colleagues Dariya Orlova, Magdalena Saldaña, Aysha Agbarya, Yuval Katz and Rachel Mourão, he discussed the challenges faced by journalists in countries such as Ukraine, Chile, Israel, Palestine, Germany and Austria. Together with Annika Keute, Senior Scientist in the department, he also presented key findings from the research project A Century of Journalism.

Anna Mavrikou, PhD student at the Division Journalism research, gave a lecture on the migration backgrounds of journalists in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and highlighted issues of diversity and representation in editorial offices.

Hanan Badr, Head of the Division Public Spheres and Inequalities, was invited to participate in the launch event “Looking Back, Forging Ahead” – a sign of international recognition of her expertise in the field of global communication inequalities.

Mhairi Rundell, Thawab Hilal and Peter Winkler were also represented in Denver.

About the ICA

The International Communication Association (ICA) is the world’s leading association for communication and media studies. The annual conference is a central forum for international scientific exchange and the presentation of groundbreaking research.