2027 BEA Research Symposium: War and Conflict: Media Narratives and Images and Their Impact on the Politics of Public Opinion 

Chair: Michel M. Haigh, Ph.D.
Professor
Texas State University
School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2026 [*Submission site coming soon*]

There are roughly 130 armed conflicts being fought around the world right now. This number has doubled the past 15 years. Around 60 countries are caught up in war, and the number of non-state armed groups is roughly double.  

During times of war, not only is the battle being fought on the actual battlefield, but it is also being fought through the war of information. Governments, the military, the media, and enemies of the state rely on mediated forms of communication to influence public support. For example, during the World War 1, the British War office relied on the cinema to influence public support for war by mixing documentary footage with staged reenactments to produce a film.  

The 2027 BEA Research Symposium will examine the relationship between the media and the military during times of war/conflict. This symposium examines how media professionals transmit information about war/conflict. It also seeks to understand how technology is impacting public support for war. 

The symposium welcomes qualitative and quantitative research from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives across social sciences. The war/conflict can be historical as well as ongoing conflicts. Potential contributions could focus on the topics below, but are not limited to: 

• Public opinion/public support for war 
• Social media and conflict
• Visuals of war and conflict
• Casualties and public support for war
• Media credibility during times of war/conflict
• Misinformationduring times of war/conflict 
• Embedded reporting
• Public diplomacy
• War propaganda 
• History ofthe press/military relationship 
• Comparisons of war messaging 
• Ethical considerations of narratives of war and conflict 

A FEW REMINDERS:

• Submissions to this research symposium should be full research papers, which typically run between 5,000-7,000 words (including references, tables, and appendices).
• APA 7th edition should be used.
• Submissions will be peer-reviewed and if accepted, presented at the 2027 BEA Research Symposium.
• In addition, papers may be considered for inclusion in Routledge’s Electronic Media Research Book Series tied to the symposium.
• The deadline for paper submissions is December 31, 2026. Authors should not submit work currently under review. They should not submit the paper to another outlet until after they have been notified the paper did not make the edited book.
• The Research Symposium paper competition is BLINDLY REVIEWED. Judges need to blindly review your papers.
• Authors will be notified about decisions by January 30, 2027.

About BEA’s annual convention: BEA2027, co-located with NAB Show, is a hybrid academic media convention with over 250 virtual and on-site sessions on media pedagogy, collaborative networking events, hands-on technology workshops, research and creative scholarship and the Festival of Media Arts.  BEA2027 will be an in-person convention with limited virtual participation opportunities for presenters and attendees.  

Questions? Visit www.beaweb.org or email Help@BEAweb.org.