Department of English

• Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Annenberg School For Communication, Room 300

Why do certain narratives become dominant in the public arena? How do certain actors manage to push a particular narrative and shape the dominant view on an issue? What is the role of media in this? Covering a range of issues from media policy to celebrity activism, visiting scholar Hilde Van den Bulck will evaluate the role of actors and stakeholders in pushing particular narratives to influence outcomes. Using the case study of public service broadcasting in Belgium, Hilde will focus on how buzzwords dominate policy debates and how stakeholders pushing media policy agendas can be understood from an Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) perspective. With regards to celebrity activism, Hilde will elaborate on how celebrities, through their philanthropy and activism, tell certain stories about global and local issues, assign blame, and propose solutions. She will also explore how social media provides a space for celebrities and citizens to discuss such issues.

Hilde Van den Bulck, PhD is a full professor of Communications Studies and director of the research group Media, Policy and Culture in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She studied Communications Studies at KU Leuven (B) and University of Leicester (UK) and obtained her PhD at KU Leuven. Her academic interests and expertise lie in media policies and structures with a focus on public service broadcasting. In addition, she has done research in media culture, focusing most recently on the role of media in celebrity activism. Hilde Van den Bulck is involved in Flemish media policy, amongst others, as vice chair of the Flemish Media Council and is published widely in her field.