Association for Journalism Education

Promoting excellence in education, teaching and research

AJE UpdatesCall for papersConferences

Register now for the AJE Winter 2026 Conference – ‘Trust, truth and ethics in journalism education’  

Caroline Jones

Event details: AJE WINTER 2026 CONFERENCE, FEBRUARY 27, 2026 (ONLINE) 1.30pm-4.15pm.

TRUST, TRUTH AND ETHICS IN JOURNALISM EDUCATION

Location: Online (Zoom) – free admission. Register your place for the event via Eventbrite HERE.

Trust seems to be draining away from journalism. The latest debacle at the BBC does little to restore the public’s faith in the news media and the role of ethical journalism, still held to be a central tenet of good journalism, is challenged in our tumultuous world.

Aligned with issues of trust and ethics are impartiality, bias, influence and verification. The challenge for journalism education then is to ensure that these aspects of news production, presentation and dissemination are key elements of both curriculum and research.

This AJE conference will seek to explore the ways in which journalism educators meet the challenges and continue to embed these key elements of good journalistic practice into our programmes of study and research.

We are very excited to share that our keynote speaker will be the award-winning journalist, author and journalism academic Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

We are also very much looking forward to welcoming a brilliant line up of journalism educators from across the UK, Europe and the world joining us to share their research and practice on these themes. 

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

1.30pm GMT: Dr Margaret Hughes, AJE UK Chair – welcome

1.35pm: Prof Ivor Gaber, The Media Society

1.40pm-2.30pm: Keynote – Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist, broadcaster & journalism educator (Chair: Dr Margaret Hughes)

2.30pm-2.40pm: Comfort break

2.40pm-4.15pm: Academic papers & discussion: (Chair: Deborah Wilson-David, AJE UK)

  • Teaching to the Fault Lines: A Research-Based Pedagogical Model for Building Trust in Kenyan Journalism – Kabuya Nazarene Makena, Tangaza University, Kenya;
  • Embedding Solutions Journalism in Journalism Education: Rebuilding Trust Through Constructive Practice – Katherine Blair, Associate Professor, Leeds Trinity University;
  • Institutional Innovation and Theoretical Tensions in China’s Journalism Education as an Alternative from Global South – Mao Wanxi, Assistant Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou;
  • Perceptions of toxic news among Irish citizens: How users define harmful content and adjust their everyday practices – Dr Irene Pyschari, Postdoctoral researcher, Institute of Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo)
  • The portrayal of mental illnesses in South African media, with a specific focus on South African news outlet, News24 – Dr Florence de Vries, Head: Marketing and Communication, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

4.15pm Thanks & close

You can register here and we will re-send out Zoom links closer to the event.