The Success Story of the 11th World Conference On Media and Mass Communication 2026
The 11th World Conference on Media and Mass Communication (MEDCOM 2026) was successfully held in Bali, Indonesia, from 23rd to 24th March 2026, bringing together a diverse international community of academics, researchers, journalists, media professionals, policymakers, and industry representatives. Hosted as a hybrid event, MEDCOM 2026 welcomed participants from 40 countries, creating an engaging platform to exchange ideas, share research findings, and discuss emerging developments across the field of media and communication.
MEDCOM 2026 was organised under the theme “Rethinking Media Futures: Sustainability, Resistance, and Communication Justice.” The theme was carefully designed to address some of the most pressing and timely challenges facing contemporary media ecosystems. In line with this focus, conference tracks explored a wide range of topics including artificial intelligence and media, journalism and democracy, media ethics, strategic communication, crisis communication, political communication, environmental communication, and communication for social change. Through keynote sessions, research presentations, workshops, guided‑to‑publish sessions, and facilitated networking, MEDCOM 2026 strengthened global dialogue, collaboration, and innovation within the media and mass communication community.
Resource Persons
Dr. Tülây Atay
Conference Co-Chair
Türkiye
Prof. Andrea Volterrani
Conference Co-Chair
Italy
Dr. Chris Fenner
Conference Co-Chair
USA
Prof. (Dr.) Kay O'Halloran
Steering Committee
United Kingdom
Assoc. Prof. (Dr.) Victor Lim Fei
Steering Committee
Singapore
Prof. Kevin Naidoo
Steering Committee
South Africa
Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti
Steering Committee
India
Dr. Rui Alexandre Novais
Steering Committee
Portugal
Prof. Daya Thussu
Keynote Speaker - Physical
Hong Kong
Dr. Maxim Behar
Keynote Speaker - Virtual
UK
Distinguished Prof. Jim Macnamara
Keynote Speaker - Virtual
Australia
Prof. Lilie Chouliaraki
Keynote Speaker - Virtual
England
Dr. Sara Gabai
Plenary Speaker - Physical
Thailand
Prof. Hermin Indah Wahyuni
Plenary Speaker - Physical
Indonesia
Prof. Anubhuti Yadav
Plenary Speaker - Physical
India
Jörg Matthes
Workshop Speaker - Physical
Special Features
Session Chairs - PHYSICAL
- Prof. Hermin Indah Wahyuni, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia.
- Prof. Anubhuti Yadav, Department Head, Department of New Media, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), India.
- Dr. Sara Gabai, Expert on Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, EU SWITCH-Asia Programme, Asia-Pacific, Thailand.
- Prof. Daya Thussu, President, International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Hong Kong.
- Prof. Dr. Kay O’Halloran, Chair Professor/ Department Head, Department of Communication and Media, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom.
- Prof. Dr. Fei Victor Lim, Deputy Head (Research), English Language and Literature, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
- Dr. Tülây Atay, Journalism Department, Faculty of Communication, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye.
- Prof. Andrea Volterrani, Director of Master, Social Communication | Social Farming, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.
- Dr. Chris Fenner, Department of Communication, Public Relations Faculty, University of West Florida, USA.
Evaluation Panel Members - PHYSICAL
- Dr. Ananya Mehta, Senior Lecturer – Public Relations, RMIT University, Vietnam.
- Dr. Marlon Aves Diloy, Director for Academics, NU Las Piñas, Philippines.
- Prof. Dr. Wang Changsong, Dean, School of Communication, Xiamen University, Malaysia.
- Dr. Lakshika Sajeevanie Liyanage, Dean, Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka.
- Assoc. Prof. Farida Nurfalah, Universitas Swadaya Gunung Jati, Indonesia.
- Prof. Jörg Matthes, Professor of Communication Science, Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Austria.
Session Chairs - VIRTUAL
- Dr. Keshav Patel, Kalindi College, Delhi University, India.
- Dr. Majid Ul Ghafar, Hazara University, Pakistan.
- Dr. Yamini Khullar, Associate Professor, Delhi Metropolitan Education, Noida GGSIP University, India.
- Dr. Arnab Basu, Adamas University (AU), Barasat, India.
- Dr. Alia Idris, Zarqa University, Jordan.
- Dr. Sayak Pal, Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
Evaluation Panel Members - VIRTUAL
- Dr. Ngonso Frederick, Edo State University, Nigeria.
- Dr. Himani Binjola, Graphic Era Hill University, India.
- Dr. Samiya Asadi, Stamford University, Bangladesh.
- Dr. Swati Agarwal, Adamas University, India.
- Dr. Hari Krishna Behera, Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), India.
- Dr. Suwandi Sumartias, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia.
- Prof. Kevin Naidoo, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zululand, South Africa.
- Dr. Saima Waheed, University of Management & Technology, Pakistan.
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