WACC Europe and CEC Seminar and Assembly 2019:
10-12 April 2019, Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki

What Makes Us So Angry? Hate speech, fake news and communication rights

Organised by the  World Association for Christian Communication – Europe Region (WACC Europe) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

As Christian communicators we are committed by our faith and profession to freedom of expression, free press, media diversity and other communication rights. So how do we respond to the seemingly growing proliferation of hate speech and fake news online?
Over 50 participants in this seminar and assembly looked at our European reality, a communication rights framework for the digital world, case studies and strategies to address hate speech and disinformation.

Full programme -> here.

Available presentations:

Morning Worship at the German Church of Helsinki; Sermon by  Rev. Juha Rajamäki, Deputy Director, Church Council, Finland

Fake Theology, Fake News
Theological reflection from the Very Rev. Anders Gadegaard, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark​; Chair, Communication Task Force, Conference of European Churches

Communication Rights in a Divided World
Global overview (Powerpoint, Text) from  Philip Lee, General Secretary, World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)

Setting the Scene: Hate Speech and Disinformation in the European Context

Presentation by Max Arhippainen, Director of Communications, Media and Communications Unit of the Ministry of Defence, Finland

Agnieszka Godfrejow-Tarnogorska, Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland

Hate Speech and Disinformation in Hungary by Dóra Laborczi, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary

Gender and Hate Speech, by Dr Sarah Macharia, Programme manager for gender and communication, WACC Global. Watch the video presentation.

Communication Rights / WACC Europe Assembly

Report on WACC Europe 2015-2019 by Stephen Brown, WACC Europe President