THISAM 2026 – 10th Anniversary and First‑Leg Relocation to Kastoria

The Thessaloniki International Media Summer Academy (THISAM) marked its tenth anniversary in 2026 by moving the opening leg of its ten‑day programme from its long‑standing home in Thessaloniki to the lakeside town of Kastoria, Greece. Organisers framed the relocation as a strategy to broaden Aristotle University’s regional presence across Macedonia while also challenging participants to confront evolving media realities.

The academy’s theme for the year, “Unveiling Tomorrow's Media: Challenges and Tools in Communication,” guided a schedule that ran from July 1 to July 10, beginning with a two‑day “Global Media and Culture” conference (July 1‑2) and continuing with the main academy format of keynotes, workshops, and cross‑border collaborations.

Participants and Partnerships

  • 71 participants representing 19 countries attended, comprising early‑career journalists, scholars, NGO leaders and media executives.
  • The academy convened a consortium of 15 partner universities, notably Temple University, DW Akademie, Concordia University, and Hong Kong Baptist University.
  • Opening remarks were delivered by Christos Frangonikolopoulos, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at Aristotle University.

Core Sessions and Highlights

  • Keynote on the future of media was presented by Shin D. Kim, film professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.
  • A flagship two‑hour workshop titled “Winning Attention in the Digital Media Era” was co‑led by Avinash Mudaliar (Co‑Founder & CEO of HT Labs and CEO of OTTplay) and Jatin Malhotra (former product‑strategy roles at Oracle, Meta and Reliance Jio). Mudaliar illustrated how content has shifted from scarcity to abundance, citing an AI‑driven search layer built over a century‑old Hindustan Times archive.
  • Elira Canga of Arizona State’s Cronkite School facilitated a workshop on solutions journalism and rebuilding public trust.
  • Ludovic Blecher, Chairman of WhiteBeard and CEO of IDation, presented a case study on AI implementation and the broader AI ecosystem.
  • Sherri Hope Culver (Temple University) led sessions on pop‑culture propaganda, media literacy, and ethics in a digitally diverse landscape.
  • Dr. Dimitrios Bouras, visual anthropologist, taught on war, conflict, humanitarian crises and collective memory in conflict reporting.
  • Niko Efstathiou, Editor‑in‑Chief of WIRED Greece, ran a session on wildfire misinformation, turning media‑literacy concepts into a concrete local challenge.
  • Dejan Oblak (University of Zagreb) delivered “Reimagining News for the Visual Generation,” an experimental visual‑storytelling case study aimed at younger audiences.
  • Aphrodite Salas, journalist and Concordia University professor, presented on oral history as documentary practice.
  • A joint session titled “Trust and Democracy from the Agora to AI: America 250 and Fulbright Voices” was co‑led by faculty members Silcock, Perišin, Culver and Panagiotou, situating AI concerns within democratic trust.
  • The academy concluded with Panagiotou’s closing session “The Future Is Yours: Global Media, Leadership, and the Careers Students Must Build Now,” followed by a graduation ceremony.

Media Literacy Initiative

In parallel with the academic programme, THISAM launched a media‑literacy pilot in 35 Greek schools, coordinated with the Ministry of Education and the General Secretariat of Information. The pilot, now recognized by UNESCO as a good practice, aims to foster critical thinking against misinformation among adolescents.

Emphasis on Human Judgment and Trust

Throughout the ten‑day run, speakers repeatedly stressed that while algorithms and AI reshape content distribution, human judgment, ethical oversight, and democratic trust remain indispensable. Panagiotou argued that journalism’s core value lies in the slower work of understanding and interpreting information, not merely speed.

Additional Information

  • The academy’s activities continued in Thessaloniki after the Kastoria leg, concluding on July 10.
  • The press release was distributed under an arrangement with Newsvoir, with a disclaimer that PTI assumes no editorial responsibility.