This year's International Conference MEDIA-BIZNES-CULTURE. Pomerania 2023 brought together more than 100 guests from scientific centres in Poland and abroad and featured many unique events. Vasilisa Stepanenko, the winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize, acted as a keynote speaker and met with students of the University of Gdańsk. The conference included the awarding of University of Gdańsk medals to the staff of the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Gdańsk, an open debate on academic and student media, and the presentation of awards in the annual Medi@stery competition.

MEDIA-BIZNES-CULTURE is a biennial international academic conference organised by the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication at the University of Gdańsk (IMDiKS UG). Each edition brings together academics from dozens of research centres from Poland and abroad, business representatives and employees of media and cultural institutions working with the media. For several years, it has been one of the most significant meetings of theoreticians and practitioners and a forum for exchanging views on ethical, technological, cultural and market processes related to social communication and the media. This year's 9th edition focused on the issues of crisis and the rapid changes we have witnessed in recent years, and how the media reflect and shape this new reality.

The conference was officially opened by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, and the Vice-Dean for Student Affairs of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk, dr Barbara Kijewska. The conference was opened by the Director of the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication of the UG, prof. Małgorzata Łosiewicz. In her speech, she drew attention first and foremost to the theme of this year's proceedings: the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, and the economic downturn, which not only caused the media to provide audiences with a wealth of information on contemporary challenges but are also making it necessary for the media themselves and for journalists to adapt.

Rector UG prof. Piotr Stepnowski drew attention to the significant communicative role of the media in times of dynamic civilisational change and to the responsible education of future journalism students. Dr Barbara Kijewska referred to the role of the media in shaping and stabilising democratic systems.

The conference's opening ceremony was an opportunity to honour retiring employees of the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication at the UG: prof. Jolanta Maćkiewicz and editors Alina Kietrys and Marek Ponikowski. They all worked with outstanding commitment to establishing the Journalism and Social Communication degree programme at the University of Gdańsk and made a massive contribution to the high quality of education. Prof. Jolanta Maćkiewicz was awarded the University of Gdańsk's Gold Medal, DOCTRINAE SAPIENTIAE HONESTATI, for her long-standing and committed activity for the development of the University of Gdańsk, as well as for supporting the Journalism and Social Communication faculty and building a positive image of our Alma Mater. Editors Alina Kietrys and Marek Ponikowski received Bronze Medals of the University of Gdańsk, BENE MERITO ET MERENTI, for their long and committed work for the development of the University of Gdańsk and building a positive image of our Alma Mater. The medals were presented by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, who congratulated the award winners. There was no shortage of moving laudations in honour of the decorated employees: the laudation in honour of prof. Jolanta Maćkiewicz was delivered by dr Dominik Chomik (IMDiKS UG), in honour of Editor Alina Kietrys by dr Beata Czechowska-Derkacz (IMDiKS UG), and in honour of Editor Marek Ponikowski by dr Konrad Knoch (IMDiKS UG).

Another important moment of the conference was the awarding of prizes to the winners of the nationwide Medi@stery competition for the best master's thesis on media knowledge, which is organised cyclically by the Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication of UG and has become a permanent feature in the calendar of important academic events. The competition was initiated to promote the most outstanding work of graduates of master's degree programmes in journalism and, following the idea contained in the name, Medi@stery paves the way for individual, creative and substantively valuable achievements.

The first prize went to Wojciech Kułaga from Jagiellonian University for his thesis entitled 'From demotivators to video memes on TikTok. Evolution of Internet memes', written under the supervision of prof. Małgorzata Lisowska-Magdziarz. Second place was won by Wiktoria Nylec from the University of Warsaw for her thesis 'National identity during the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border on the example of the weekly <<W Sieci>>', written under the supervision of prof. Tomasz Gackowski, and third place went to Virginia Anna Wywiał from the Jagiellonian University for her thesis 'New atheists versus theists. Framing religion and God in worldview debates', also written under the supervision of prof. Małgorzata Lisowska-Magdziarz. Staś Pawłowski, a student of journalism and social communication at UG, interviewed the first-place winner and the thesis supervisor. The awards were presented by the director of the Institute, prof. Małgorzata Łosiewicz, and the deputy director, prof. Anna Ryłko-Kurpiewska.

The conference was also an opportunity to reminisce about the prizes in the Dali International Photography Festival (China), one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world. This part was chaired by prof. Karolina Aszyk-Trepa, who participated in the competition with her students. Mateusz Siedlecki, this year's graduating student in Journalism and Social Communication at the UG, won the main prize for debut at the festival for his series of photographs entitled 'Memoir'. The works of students from the photography specialisation were qualified for and presented at the exhibition: Sandra Cwintal, Aleksandra Gryńko, Magdalena Fedak, Kacper Frąckowiak, Kinga Trzebiatowska and Jakub Zera, as well as staff members: prof. Zbigniew Treppa, prof. Karolina Aszyk and mgr. Mikołaj Janiak.

An important moment of the conference, which attracted over a hundred people in the auditorium of the UG Faculty of Social Sciences, was the meeting with Vasilisa Stepanenko, Ukrainian journalist and video producer, this year's winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, who spoke about the role of the media during the war in Ukraine. The conversation with Vasilisa was moderated by dr Dominika Rafalska (IMDiKS UG), and the introduction was by prof. Iryna Ivanova from Kharkiv National Economic University. Students asked primarily about the working conditions and challenges faced by war correspondents in Ukraine today. Still, there were also broader questions: about the role of journalists and free media in a future free Ukraine.

The conference traditionally featured an open debate on current media issues. This year's event was entitled: 'Academic and student media in a world of algorithms and artificial intelligence'. Speeches were given by Zofia Przybysz and Aleksander Szlęzak - students of Journalism and Social Communication (Institute of Media, Journalism and Social Communication, UG) and Bartłomiej Chlabicz, Coordinator of educational projects from the Warsaw Banking Institute, a partner of the conference. The panel discussion was attended by the scientific supervisor of the UG Neptun TV student club, dr Konrad Knoch; the scientific supervisor of the UG CDN student internet portal, dr Dominika Rafalska; the supervisor of the UG Radio Research Club, dr Monika Białek; the editor-in-chief of the UG CDN student internet portal, Paulina Kozień; and representatives of academic media from universities forming, together with the University of Gdańsk, the Association of Fahrenheit Universities - the Gdansk University of Technology and the Medical University of Gdańsk: Gazeta MUG editor-in-chief and managing editor of the 'European Journal of Translational and Clinical Medicine' Małgorzata Omilian-Mucharska and the editor-in-chief of the Gdańsk University of Technology's journal prof. Krzysztof Goczyła. The guests shared their experiences of publishing and preparing newspapers, portals, radio and television programmes in the era of dynamic changes in the media, which have been entered by algorithms, new ways of promoting content, positioning and artificial intelligence. It is worth mentioning that the meeting at the University of Gdańsk inaugurates the OFMA on Tour project, carried out by the Polish Academic Media Forum. The event was moderated by dr Beata Czechowska-Derkacz.

As every year, the heart of the conference were the scientific panels, also with the participation of young researchers - doctoral students and students - and the deliberations in sections with the involvement of scientists and practitioners from dozens of research centres from Poland and abroad. The scientific panel opening the proceedings was entitled: 'Literary reportage in the digital era of (r)evolution - new challenges', chaired by dr Monika Białek. More than a hundred papers were presented, and discussions revolved around four thematic areas: Media in crisis - crisis in the media; (R)evolution of the media market; New media - new society; Media, democracy, and politics.

Students from the scientific circles were involved in the organisation of the conference, as every year: Radiowcy, CDN, Neptun TV and Inspiar, who create the University of Gdańsk's student media (Radio MORS, CDN Internet Portal, Neptun TV Television). They posted reports of events, interviews and journalistic materials there continuously.

It is worth mentioning that this year's conference had a hybrid formula, and most events could be followed online. The streaming and online coverage was supervised by students from the UG Neptun TV research centre, and the whole thing was coordinated by Aleksander Szlęzak.