Faculty Lead Panels at Global Media Conference
04 Dec 2025
西交利物浦大学媒体与传播学系（DMC）的多位教师于7月13日至17日在新加坡南洋理工大学举办的国际媒体与传播研究协会（IAMCR）会议上，主持了多个分论坛，并发表了多场学术演讲。
Scholars shaDMC faculty with alumni and friends of XJTLU.
SINGAPORE – Faculty from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Department of Media and Communication (DMC) led panels and delivered multiple presentations at the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) conference, held from July 13 to 17 at Nanyang Technological University.
This year’s conference, themed “Communicating Environmental Justice: Many Voices, One Planet,” was one of the largest international conferences in the post-pandemic era, bringing approximately 1,700 scholars and stakeholders to address global sustainability.
Professor Xiaoling Zhang, presenting her paper.
Professor Xiaoling Zhang presented on Monday, July 14, as part of the panel “Creative Narratives, Disruptive Change.” Her paper, “Health Silk Road: Framing, Narrating, and Creative Advocacy,” explored narrative strategies within China’s global health initiative. The following day, Dr Tingting Hu served as the convener and organizer of the panel “Transcultural Fandoms and Digital Labor” and also presented a co-authored paper titled “Transcending Borders: The Digital Queer Spaces of Transcultural Fandom in Boys’ Love Narratives.”
Dr Tingting Hu, presenting her paper.
On Wednesday, July 16, Dr Xianwen Kuang from DMC and Dr. Jesse Owen Hearns-Branaman from Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, presented their co-authored paper titled “Ten Years of Transformation: A Comparative Analysis of American News Coverage on China during Xi's Initial and Fifth US Visits.” The findings of this paper indicate that US media coverage of China was increasingly shaped by US foreign policy towards China, particularly as the main American political parties’ views on China converged over the decade.
Dr Xianwen Kuang, presenting his paper.
Closing the week on Thursday, July 17, Dr Dharma Adhikari served as organizer and discussant of the “News Framing and Political Narratives” panel, in which he also presented his research, “'Building the Floor’: Elite Indian Newspapers' Framing of the Xi-Biden Summit.” His analysis revealed that the narrative construction of the US-China relationship in the Indian elite press was reflective of the nation's strategic positioning within the broader US-China-India strategic triangle.
Dr Dharma Adhikari, presenting his paper.
The participation by DMC faculty highlighted XJTLU’s active role in global media and communication research.
A number of presentations directly addressed the conference's environmental justice theme, emphasizing decolonized narratives, community engagement, climate activism, Indigenous knowledge, and media advocacy, often through case studies from the Global South.
Beyond environmental topics, the conference featured a wide range of issues, including AI and journalism, gender and media, political communication, health communication, digital governance, diaspora, media ethics, and popular culture, reflecting IAMCR's interdisciplinary scope.
Dr Xianwen Kuang, Dr Tinting Hu and Professor Xiaoling Zhang, at the panel chaired by Dr Hu.
Both Dr Kuang and Dr Adhikari pointed to Singapore itself as a practical example of effective environmental policy, true to the conference theme. Dr Kuang shared his firsthand observations: “At the registration desk, the organizers provided reusable bottles instead of plastic ones, with numerous water refill stations available throughout the venue—much like on our own campus.” He also noted that the conference facilitated sustainable travel: “Since the venue is quite far away from the city center, charged transportation cards were provided for free.”
The sense of a global academic community was a highlight for both academics. They met former students and colleagues, an experience Dr Kuang described as “passing the torch.”
Dr Kuang was very touched by his meeting with former students: “The path from a student to an independent researcher is never easy. Standing up to the inevitable loneliness of a scholarly career requires great perseverance.”
Dr Adhikari said this community spirit arose from the gathering of participants from 72 countries to discuss new questions that have emerged in recent years.
Dr Xianwen Kuang with Dr Sheau Wen Ong, another DMC faculty member.
For Dr Kuang, the value was also in the personal interactions that extended beyond academia. “By sharing the challenges that we face in research or teaching, I was relieved to learn I am not alone in tackling these issues. While professional discussion is the primary goal, a familiar community acts as a crucial support system,” he said.
Most exchanges were positive, often focusing on recent research progress, which Dr Kuang cited as a key reason for attending international conferences.
The faculty found the conference “a fulfilling experience,” noting that its value extended beyond formal presentations to foster professional growth and personal connections.
Story:
TIANXIANG ZHANG / DMC Newsletter.
Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, Department of Media and Communication, XJTLU.
04 Dec 2025