The 18th International Media Readings in Moscow ‘Mass Media and Communications-2026’. Ethnic Media Around the World: Systems, Policies, Journalistic Cultures. The event is held as part of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia
Organizer: Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University
In partnership with: Russian Union of Journalists, The Union of Journalism Education of Chinese and Russian Universities, Russian-African club of Lomonosov Moscow State University, The Association of Russian and African Journalists, National Association of Mass Media Researchers
Dates: October 22-23, 2026
Format: hybrid event
Local organizing and program committees are headed by Professor Elena Vartanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Education

Contemporary research shows that despite common trends shaping media systems across different countries – such as media digitalization, mediatization of social processes, deprofessionalization of journalistic work, transformation of media business models, audience migration online, growing trust in new media, changing media consumption practices in a convergent environment, and others – geographical, sociopolitical, economic, linguistic, and national-cultural characteristics continue to exert significant influence on national media systems (Vartanova, 2023). It is now critically important to analyze the development patterns of ethnic media – i.e., media in the national languages of a country’s peoples – in the context of broader national media system trends, while also accounting for the linguistic, cultural, economic, and territorial specificities of each region.

Traditionally, the dynamics among different ethnic groups within a given society, as well as ethnolinguistic communication in the media space, have been examined through several paradigms: multiculturalism (Malkova, 2004; Matsaganis, Katz, & Ball-Rokeach, 2011), linguistic and cultural pluralism (Tishkov, 2003; Shkondin, 2016; Deuze & Prenger, 2019), and the rapidly developing approach of cultural-discursive studies (Shi-xu, 2022). These frameworks have been employed to analyze ethnic journalism as both a professional field and a social mission in the countries of the Global South (Gladkova & Jamil, 2021) and BRICS nations, including Russia (Vartanova & Gladkova, 2020). Particular attention in current Russian and international studies is paid to the specificities of ethnic group communication in polyethnic societies and to strengthening national unity and civic identity.

One of the key questions in this regard is the impact of digital inequality and other technological challenges on communication processes among ethnic groups in Global North and Global South countries. It is important to identify promising pathways for the development of ethnic media in the context of digitalization, as well as factors that can enhance their effectiveness, growth, and relevance in the digital environment. Taking into account contemporary vectors of national media system development, we must determine whether ethnic language media are undergoing transformation in the digital age, and how their goals, tasks, content, content production and distribution models, regulatory and self-regulatory frameworks, and interactions with audiences and non-institutional content producers are changing. Finally, we need to answer the question of whether new funding models, the transition of ethnic media to online formats, strategies for engaging young audiences, the use of artificial intelligence technologies, and other factors can contribute to the effectiveness of ethnic media.

Submission guidelines 
Abstracts (between 300 and 500 words) in English or Russian, including author(s) name(s) and affiliation(s) should be sent to moscow.readings@mail.ru before September 1, 2026.

Registration fee
The Moscow Readings conference does not have a conference registration fee. All costs will have to be covered either by the home institution or by presenters themselves.  

Publishing opportunities 
A collection of abstracts (indexed in RSCI) will be published following the conference. Best papers will be considered for publication in Moscow University Bulletin. Series 10. Journalism (RSCI core, Scopus, Web of Science) and World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies (RSCI core, Scopus).

Contact details 
Contact email: moscow.readings@mail.ru