Political Communication, Journalism and Democracy

The Research Group on Political Communication, Journalism and Democracy (POLCOM-GRP) is a consolidated research group, which is part of the Communication Department of the Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona (UPF) with public funding (SGR 2021). Its main objective is the interdisciplinary study of the interrelationships between the political system, the media system and citizenship, and how these interactions affect the democratic culture of society.

The research lines are grouped in four areas:

Political and Crisis Communication

• Analysis of Political Discourse
• Crisis and Emergency Communication
• Political Communication and Gender
• Political Communication and Artificial Intelligence
• Political Journalism
• Impact of media and social networks on the creation of public opinion in political socialization
• Political communication and electoral campaigns in the digital public sphere
• Influencers and electoral campaigns
• Information credibility and anti-media discourse

Journalistic Deontology and Accountability

• Desinformation and Fact-checking
• Journalistic Ethics and Media Accountability
• Artificial Intelligence, Journalism and Ethics

History of Journalism

• History of Journalism
• Journalism, protest and democratic transitions

Media studies

• Media Innovation
• Media, Communication and Sports
• International Journalism and Global Media
• Journalism and Armed Conflict
• Journalism and Human Rights
• Journalism and Climate Change
• Teaching and Teaching Innovation in Journalism

The research lines of the POLCOM-GRP group are committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, which is developed through various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, the group's research is linked to SDG number 4 to promote quality education (linked to the research line of journalism teaching and teaching innovation); SDG 5 on gender equality (linked to the Political Communication and Gender Perspective line); and SDG 16 to promote peace, justice and solid institutions to strengthen democracy (linked to the lines of Disinformation and Fact-checking and Journalistic Ethics and Accountability). Likewise, these POLCOM-GRP research lines also respond to the objectives of the Planetary Wellbeing initiative from research in journalism and communication as essential instruments for better democracies and a preservation of the fundamental rights of citizenship.

Ideograma-UPF Chair of Political Communication and Democracy

POLCOM-GRP is linked to this chair, which aims to promote research and the dissemination of knowledge in the field of public communication, including political and institutional communication. The project develops its research around two axes:

• Anti-media discourse
• Information credibility