Global scholars discuss misinformation at SISU symposium

More than 200 scholars and media practitioners from more than 10 countries attended an online symposium hosted by the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) on Saturday to explore the roles of misinformation in global communication in the digital media environment.

On the sideline of the event, SISU also released the inaugural issue of its open access academic journal "Online Media and Global Communication" (OMGC) in cooperation with German publisher De Gruyter.

The English-language journal, sponsored by the Center for Global Public Opinion Research of China and School of Journalism and Communication of SISU, aims to provide a highly accessible and open platform to English readers across the world, particularly from the Global South.

Jiang Feng, Chair of the SISU University Council, said in his opening address that academic exchanges in journalism and communication play a positive role in building a community with a shared future for humanity. He also expressed hope that the symposium can help address the increasing challenges posed by misinformation.

The symposium featured two keynote speeches and six parallel panels in two online conference rooms, with 23 presenters from all five continents in the world in attendance.

Keynote speaker Matthew Baum, a Harvard University professor and the co-founder of the HKS Misinformation Review, shared his five-step process of dealing with misinformation.

In his closing remarks for the symposium, Guo Ke, dean and professor of School of Journalism and Communication of SISU, expressed hope that an academic community regarding misinformation study will be established to facilitate more high-quality research.