Strengthening Welsh democracy discussed at media conference

An Aberystwyth academic will discuss how to strengthen democracy in Wales at a high-profile media conference this week.

‘Citizens’ Voices, People’s News: Making the Media Work for Wales’ takes place at the Institute of Welsh Affairs in Cardiff on Thursday 17 November, and features keynote speeches from Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden MS, and award-winning journalist, Shirish Kulkarni.

As part of the programme, Dr Anwen Elias, Reader in Politics at Aberystwyth University will lead a discussion about the role of deliberative conversation in democracy with Yvonne Murphy from Cardiff-based Cultural & Democratic Information Centre, The Talking Shop.

Dr Elias leads the Constitutional Futures project at Aberystwyth University, which aims to start new conversations about how we should be governed, as the basis for imagining different constitutional futures. The project explores innovative ways of engaging citizens in discussions about territorial governance that affect them but rarely include them.

Dr Elias said:

“This is an excellent opportunity to share the findings of a project that has been using creative methods such as collage-making to start new conversations about how Wales is governed. I hope our findings can contribute to a broader discussion about how to strengthen Welsh democracy.”

The Institute of Welsh Affairs and The Open University in Wales will also present the work of a Citizens Panel that met during the summer to discuss the question: ‘How well does the news help you understand politics?’, discussing how the Welsh media might better meet the needs of people and communities, and reactions to their recommendations from industry professionals and politicians.

The event will feature writers on the past and present of broadcasting in Wales.  It will also celebrate the launch of new Institute of Welsh Affairs research that considers how the legal and regulatory frameworks might need to change to make public service broadcasting fit for a Wales of the future, through a panel discussion involving Professor Jamie Medhurst, Head of the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University.

‘Citizens’ Voices, People’s News: Making the Media Work for Wales’ is sponsored by Aberystwyth University, The Open University in Wales, University of Wales Press and Newport Live.

For more information about the event, visit:
https://www.iwa.wales/eventbrite-event/citizens-voices-peoples-news-making-the-media-work-for-wales/

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