#CICEvent | Academic session on ethical communication and rigor in time of polarization

Published on 16 October, 2025

On October 27th, the Aula Capella of the historical building of the University of Barcelona will host the Session on Ethical Communication / Effective Communication, a meeting dedicated to reflect on the hardships of a responsible way of communication in times of polarization and information overload. The event will bring together academics, professionals and students in a debate about the balance between ethical rigor and the effectiveness of the message, as well as its place in the mediatic ecosystem which is more emotional and immediate every day that goes by.

The event will start at 9.30 h with the conference of Dr. Virpi I. Salojärvi, professor of the University of Helsinki and expert in journalism and emotions, where she will present “From Walruses to Bullets in Unexpected Places: Emotions at the Core of Contemporary Journalistic Studies and Practice”. Salojärvi will analyze the main part that emotions take in current journalism, going from the collective fear between professionals to the type of journalism that’s on TikTok.

The evening will continue at 14.30 h with the participation of Dr. Edward Schiappa, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who will present the conference “Can popular media decrease prejudice?: The Parasocial Contact Hypothesis”. The professor will explore how mediatic representations can reduce prejudices and support inclusion, reviewing the theory of parasocial contact and its impact on social perception.

This meeting offers an opportunity to explore how communication can be effective and ethical, while putting its focus on emotions, mediatical representation and the contact with the audience. The attendees will get to know new perspectives about journalism in a context of immediateness and informative overload, keeping the values of responsibility, precision and trust in the center of the current mediatical ecosystem.