8 April 2026
IViR Room, 5th floor, REC A
Welcome to the webpage of the ninth International Media Law, Policy & Practice (IMLPP) conference. Run by students, the conference has been organised as a closing event for the 2026 IMLPP course.
IMLPP is an optional course on the specialised Informatierecht LL.M. programme, which is offered by the Institute for Information Law (IViR) at the Faculty of Law, University of Amsterdam. The course coordinator is Prof. Tarlach McGonagle (IViR).
The main aim of the conference is to provide IMLPP students with a platform to present the research that they have carried out during the course alongside and in discussion with invited expert speakers. Attendance is open to all students on the Informatierecht LL.M. Programme and all other interested researchers and students.
| Draft conference programme | |
|---|---|
| 09.30 – 09.40 | Welcome Tarlach McGonagle (IViR) |
| 09.40 – 11.10 | Panel I: Social media and democratic society – the roles of states and journalists in a platform-mediated public debate Chair: Dylan van de Meeberg (IMLPP) Speakers: Minke Gommer (lawyer, bureau Brandeis), Ramsha Jahangir (journalist and policy expert, specializing in technology and human rights) Tijs Yeşilkagit (IMLPP) |
| 11.10 – 11.30 | Tea & coffee |
| 11.30 – 13.00 | Panel II: Journalism and deepfakes Chair: Nora Lange (IMLPP) Speakers: Sanne Breimer (IMLPP), Wouter van Dijke (techjournalist, RTL Nieuws, specialized in AI), Foeke Postma (researcher and trainer, Bellingcat) |
| 13.00 – 13.10 | Closing remarks |
| 13.10 – 14.30 | Lunch |
IMLPP Conference 2026 Panel Abstracts
Panel I: Social media and democratic society – the roles of states and journalists in a platform-mediated public debate
The right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), protects the vital role journalists play as “public watchdogs” in democratic society, informing the public and facilitating public debate. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has repeatedly underlined the positive obligations for states to ensure a favourable climate for journalists to engage in public debate. This obligation is most clearly formulated in the Dink v. Turkey (2010) and Khadija Ismayilova v. Azerbaijan (2019) judgments.
However, the environment for public debate has changed drastically over the past years. Public discourse increasingly takes place on large social media platforms that play a dominant role in deciding which information gets disseminated to whom. At the same time, such platforms seem to have little interest in facilitating a space for critical, democratic debate. Through invisible algorithms and behavioural advertising, the main aim is maximising user engagement for own commercial benefits.
The question thus arises whether the positive obligations for states under Article 10 ECHR also extend to the digital public sphere. While online platforms are private entities, entitled to their own governance structures, the traditional relationship between state, media institutions, journalists and the public has completely shifted as platforms mostly fulfil a (quasi-)public role.
This panel will focus on these issues from both a legal and a media perspective. It will address the implications of ECtHR judgments for the regulation of the digital environment, while also considering how platforms and social media affect the functioning of public debate in democratic society, as well as the more general role of journalists. Experts from various fields will discuss the relationship between journalists, digital platforms and democratic debate from the perspectives of European and international media law.
Further reading:
Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research, Working Group on Human Rights in the Digital Age, #DigitalShelvesInitiative – List 1: Freedom of expression, media and internet freedoms: general readings and resources
Panel II: Journalism and deepfakes
[text to follow asap]
Practical information:
Address: Institute for Information Law (IViR), Amsterdam Law School, Roeterseilandcampus, Building A, 5th floor, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam.
Directions/Map.