Proposals are invited for a special issue of the journal ‘Information & Media’, published by Vilnius University Press, on the Intersections Between Documentary Film, Journalism and Media Activism. The idea of inviting researchers to explore this topic was prompted by the fact that the role of documentary film (in its various forms and sub-genres) in shaping public opinion and understanding of various important issues has obviously increased, as has its influence on social change and challenging dominant political and social narratives. This is due to the engagement of documentary filmmakers in media activism and advocacy work, as well as the proliferation of short documentaries on social media, news and VoD platforms. Although there are many differences between the work of documentary filmmakers, journalists and media activists, what unites them is their increasingly important role as gatekeepers in society, especially in the face of the negative effects of mediated propaganda and fake news.
This special issue of ‘Information & Media’ invites authors to look at different aspects of documentary film, considering it as an information and educational medium, as a form of infotainment and as a political and social medium, focusing on content created by citizens, filmmakers, journalists and activists and disseminated through news portals, streaming platforms, in cinema, on television, social media and other places of contact with the public. It welcomes proposals from the fields of film and media, journalism, political communication, mass communication and other related areas of research. New methodological and critical approaches to examining the intersections between documentary film, journalism and media activism, as well as theoretical reflections on these processes, are also welcome.
Potential areas of research include, but are not limited to:
- web/i-documentary films
- documentary and video advocacy work
- documentary shorts in news media platforms
- -documentary shorts in political campaigns
- audiovisual civic media
- useful documentary films
- docu-entertainment
- ecocritical documentaries
- documentary film as ‘gatekeeping forces’
- professionalism in journalism and documentary film
- journalism and documentary ethics
Please send 200-word proposals for papers with short bios to a guest editor, Renata Šukaitytė (renata.sukaityte@kf.vu.lt), by October 19, 2025. The deadline for full articles will be January 31, 2026. Instructions for the authors can be found here: https://www.journals.vu.lt/IM/about/submissions
Languages. The journal accepts articles in Lithuanian and English.
The journal does not charge article processing charges or submission charges.
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