Students Travel to Athens to Confront Journalism’s “Age of Doubt”

Amid a reckoning with misinformation, polarization, and artificial intelligence, students in the SNF Paideia designated course “Media Industries and Nationalism” had a chance to take their learning out of the classroom. 

This fall two students from the Annenberg School for Communication traveled to Athens, Greece with their instructor Murali Balaji, a lecturer in the undergraduate program, to attend the Incubator for Media Education and Development (iMEdD) International Journalism Forum, which offered a space to think through these issues.

The three-day Forum, themed “Navigating the Age of Doubt,” brought together journalists, editors, educators, and media professionals from around the world to reflect and connect. For Balaji, the forum was a chance to hear how media practitioners are navigating journalism in today’s age. 

“It was a reminder that the commitment to seeking truth exists, even as journalists’ lives are increasingly in danger,” he said. 

His two students, Communication Majors Lilian Davila and Victoria Feng, were struck by the differing perspectives on misinformation, media fragmentation, and press freedom. “It’s clear that these problems are ones that have no clear consensus, even among journalists and their affiliates,” said Feng.

“At the same time, it was inspiring to hear varying degrees of optimism and creative ideas for how journalism can adapt and rebuild trust,” said Davila. 

The students were also particularly interested in the way journalists, media professionals, and academics spoke about how AI has affected their work. Panels on topics such as data centers and using AI responsibly gave the students a better understanding of the future of the industry — and perhaps some hope for its ability to adapt. 

“I left the conference feeling confident that future generations of journalists and media professionals will be able to redefine the work while holding the powerful accountable,” Balaji reflected. 

Panels also investigated shifting definitions of news and audience behavior. A session featuring new research from the Pew Research Center examined how people across the world are reshaping their media habits in response to technological and cultural change. The group also heard testimonies from journalists in conflict zones, such as Gaza. 

“At what seems like a time of great uncertainty for the media industry, this conference drew attention to key questions that I hope will continue to be answered and debated in the years to come,” said Feng.

“What I enjoyed most about the conference was the opportunity to step outside the U.S. media space and learn from many accomplished professionals from different regions, backgrounds, and industries,” said Davila.