The Strategic Communication and News Media Laboratory was founded in September 2015 under the scientific supervision of assistant professor Dr. Athanassios N. Samaras. The Laboratory was founded in September 2015 as an institutional form of the ad hoc Research Unit on Rhetoric Communication and Persuasion that operated since 2012.

The Laboratory’s mission is to fill the gap between the scientific fields of International Relations with Communication and Media Studies and contribute to the development of the interdisciplinary field of International Political Communication.

The Laboratory provides the Department of International and European Studies with research and education expertise on the fields of Strategic Communication, Argumentation, Rhetorical Communication and Persuasion in the context of both domestic politics and international politics, Media Studies, News Analysis, Nation Banding, Images of Nations, Cultural Diplomacy and Intercultural and International Communication.

The Strategic Communication and News Media Laboratory focuses its research upon:

1. The rhetorical dimensions of IR and the systematic analysis in the rhetorical construction of narratives and persuasion procedures in International politics.

2. Domestic and Foreign dimension of political communication and its dialectic.

3. Strategic Communication and the communicational aspect of Strategic Studies.

4. Sociology of News and Theories on State-Media Relations.

5. Frames and Framing

6. Qualitative and quantitative content analysis in the traditional and new media

7. Images of nations in the news; State-Mapping as a content analysis approach.

8. Political Communication and Media in the European Union.

9. News Media Effects in Foreign Policy.

10. Home Front Management and Media – Military Relations.

11. Ad Hominem Arguments

12. Blame Games, Image Restoration Strategies and the Rhetorical Aspect of CrisisManagement

13. Public Diplomacy and Soft Power

14. Persuasion and Propaganda analysis

15. Public Opinion in Foreign Policy

16. Country-bashing in political communication

17. Nation Branding,

18. Country of Origin Effect and Consumer Ethnocentrism.

19. The communicational aspects of Environmental, Technological and Health issues.

20. Skills development in intercultural communication

1. Scientific Conference: «Η εικόνα της Ελλάδος την επαύριον της κρίσης: Νέες προκλήσεις - Καινοτόμες Λύσεις». Organized by the: “Strategic Communication and News Media Laboratory”, International and European Relations Department, University of Piraeus, (Piraeus, 19 November 2019 - 09:30-19:00).

Conference Program, Poster.  

2. Scientific Conference: "Strategic Communication and the News Media in Political Campaigns and International Relations". Organized by the: “Strategic Communication and News Media Laboratory”, International and European Relations Department, University of Piraeus, (Piraeus, 10 November 2015).

Conference Program, Book of Abstracts.  

3. Scientific Conference: "Images of Nations and International Crisis: Soft Power and Strategic Communication". Organized by the  “Research Unit: Rhetorical Communication & Persuasion” and KEDEY, International and European Relations Department, University of Piraeus, (Piraeus, 16 December 2014).          

Conference Program

4. Scientific Conference: "Image Restoration Strategies, Fear Rhetoric and the Images of Nations: Practical Applications of Rhetoric in the Contemporary International Environment". Organized by the: “Research Unit: Rhetorical Communication & Persuasion” and KEDEY, International and European Relations Department, University of Piraeus, (Piraeus, 20 November 2013).

Conference Program, Book of Abstracts

5. Research Seminar: "The Rhetoric of Apologetic Discourse". Organized by the: “Research Unit: Rhetorical Communication & Persuasion” and KEDEY, International and European Relations Department, University of Piraeus, (Piraeus, 29 July 2012).

Conference Program

INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

1. Samaras, Ath.N., Iordanidou, S. & Dogani, M., (2016). «The Dialectic on International Relations and Political Communication: The Impact of the Financial Crisis Upon the Nation Image of Germany; A Comparative Analysis in Greek and UK Press» in Luengo, O.G. (Ed.), «Political Communication in Τimes of  Crisis». Berlin: Logos Verlag (under publication). *
2. Takas, E. & Samaras, Ath.N., (2016). «Legitimation and De-legitimation Processes of Memorandum II in Greece: Facets of Strategic Framing in Greek Parliamentary Discourse». French Journal for Media Research, 5. HYPERLINK*
3. Iordanidou, S. & Samaras, Ath.N., (2014). «Financial Crisis in the Cyprus Republic». Javnost-The Public, 21(4): 63-76.  HYPERLINK*
4. Goussios, C., Aspriadis, N., Tsirimiagou, Z., & Dogani, M., (2014). «Rhetorical Use of Fear in Presidential Speeches: The War on Terror Discourse». Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 7(2-3): 163-183. HYPERLINK

GREEK PUBLICATIONS

1. Samaras, Ath.N., (2016).  “Attacks and Negativity in Strategic Political Communication”. Pages 349-363 at Metaxas, Α-Ι.D.  (Ed.)  “Political Science, Volume III. Political Communication – Critical and Power Discourse”. Athens: I.Sideris Publications and Themistocles & Dimitris Tsatsos Foundation. (In Greek).
2. Aspriadis, Ν. & Goussios, Ch., (2016). «Strategic Use of Conflict: Information warfare in the Ukraine Crisis». Conference Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on International Business, University of Macedonia (In Greek - under publication).
3. Samaras, Ath.N., Kolovos, Κ. & Papagianni, N., (2015). “Strategies for Deconstructing Ethos in the Greek Referendum: A Systematic Analysis of Parliamentary Discourse”. Communication Issues (Zitimata Epikoinonias), 20-21:57-81. (In Greek).
4. Aspriadis , Ν., (2014).  «Strategic Communication in the Ukraine Crisis» Δημοσιογραφία – Greek Edition of Columbia Journalism Review, 1(4-5):10-12. (In Greek).
5. Dogani,M. (2014). “Fear as a Rhetorical Device: Fear, Violence, Force and Politics”. Δημοσιογραφία – Greek Edition of Columbia Journalism Review,1((In Greek).
6. Samaras, Ath.Ν. & Iordanidou, S., (2014). “The Financial Crisis and the International Image of Germany”. Pages 225 – 246 at Samaras,  Ath.N. (Ed.), Images of Nations;  Strategic Communication, Soft Power and News Media, Athens: Kastaniotis Publications (in Greek).*
7. Samaras, Ath.N., (2014). “Images of Nations – Theoretical Framework and Applications”.  Pages 13-40  at Samaras,  Ath.N. (Ed.), Images of Nations;  Strategic Communication, Soft Power and News Media, Athens: Kastaniotis Publications (in Greek).
8. Iordanidou, S., Samaras, Ath.N. & Dimitriou, Μ.-E., (2013).  “The International  Image of Cyprus at the British, Greek and Turkish Press; The First Phase of the Financial Crisis”. Δημοσιογραφία – Greek Edition of Columbia Journalism Review, 1(2):12-15. (In Greek). *

* Research project in collaboration with the Postgraduate Program in Communication and New Journalism, Open University of Cyprus