CALL FOR PAPERS
The 14th Annual Gershowitz Conference on Media and Democratic Governance
Theme: Governing the Machine: AI Automation, Synthetic Media, and the Future of Public Trust
Hosted by:The Center for Media and Peace Initiatives (CMPI) New York
Location: Graduate Center, CUNY 365 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10016 (With Hybrid Access)
Conference Dates: November 19–20, 2026
Conference Overview
Communication remains the heartbeat of all democratic societies. However, the rapid acceleration of generative artificial intelligence and synthetic media has introduced unprecedented friction into the intersection of journalism, public policy, and institutional administration. As the boundaries between authentic and automated public squares blur, democratic governance faces a critical turning point: how do we preserve public trust when the tools of information delivery are fundamentally mechanized? The 2026 Gershowitz Conference invites scholars, journalists, public administrators, civil society leaders, and legal experts to submit papers, case studies, and panel proposals exploring how media governance, policy interventions, and administrative ethics must adapt to the age of algorithmic autonomy.
Thematic Tracks & Suggested Areas of Inquiry
We welcome interdisciplinary submissions targeting, but not limited to, the following core tracks:
Track 1: The Synthetic Public Sphere & Policy Debates
* The impact of automated narrative generation on public administration and civic discourse.
* Evaluating public agency communication frameworks in an environment of AI-fueled institutional distrust.
* Case studies of deepfakes and generative content during recent global election cycles.
Track 2: Regulatory Frameworks and Free Expression
* Legislative approaches to curbing malicious synthetic media without chilling press freedom.
* The role of transnational policy cooperation in tracking and penalizing state-sponsored digital manipulation.
* Track 3: Algorithmic Ethics in the Contemporary Newsroom
* Developing new industry standards for automated reporting, verification, and investigative journalism.
* Rebuilding newsroom credibility currency: How transparency in AI utilization affects public trust.
* The polarization risk: How AI-driven content distribution models fragment local and regional public spheres.
Track 4: Deconstructing the Technological Administrative State
* The ethics of public administrators using predictive algorithms or AI interfaces for public service delivery.
* Civil service accountability: Who holds the legal responsibilities when automated governance models fail or exhibit bias?
Submission Guidelines
The Gershowitz Conference is activity-based, emphasizing peer group interaction, networking, and co-presentations between practitioners (journalists/civil servants) and academics.
- Abstracts: Applicants must submit an abstract of no more than 500 words outlining the research question, methodology, theoretical framework, and practical policy/journalistic relevance.
- Submission Format: Submissions must include a cover page listing the author’s name(s), institutional affiliation, email address, a short 150-word biography, and the designated track number.
- Review Process: All submissions will undergo a blind peer-review process managed by the CMPI steering committee.
Submissions should be sent via email in PDF format to: info@mycmpi.org with the subject line “Gershowitz 2026 CFP – [Author Last Name]”.
Key Dates & Deadlines
- Abstract Submission Deadline
August 10, 2026
All 500-word abstracts and author cover sheets must be submitted via emaill by 11:59 PM EST.
- Notification of Acceptance
September 7, 2026
The joint steering committee will notify selected presenters and release tentative panel schedules.
- Full Paper Submission
October 19, 2026
Accepted authors must submit full working papers (4,000–6,000 words) for distribution to panel discussants.
- Conference Registration Deadline
November 2, 2026
Deadline for all presenters to register for the event to ensure inclusion in the final printed program.
