From May 16 to May 23, 2025, in the context of the activities under several projects - No. KP-06-N65/9 of December 12, 2022. “Transformation and convergent models of journalism in the process of digitalization, in the conditions of a digital society and in a digital communication context: dispositive analysis,” No. KP-06-N75/6 of 07.12.2023, “Research on the media environment in Bulgaria - meta-analysis, methodology and approaches in studies of the impact of media transformations on public processes,” under activities 3.3. and 3.4. under the SUMMIT Sofia University Marking Momentum For Innovation and Technological Transfer project, researchers from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication visited the United States.

The research team consisted of Prof. Veselina Valkova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, head of project KP-06-N75/6 of 07.12.2023, Prof. Dr. Nikolay Mihaylov, Head of Project No. KP-06-N65/9 dated 12.12.2022, Prof. Dr. Efrem Efremov, Head of the Department of Press Journalism and Book Publishing, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetlana Stankova, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication.

As a result of established scientific and teaching contacts with colleagues from New York University, USA, the team of Bulgarian scientists visited the Department of Journalism at the same university, which bears the name of the famous American journalist, publicist, lecturer, and professional in the visual arts, Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. The journalism program at New York University is not only highly regarded worldwide, but is also known for offering an education that helps build a broad intellectual worldview and provides a critical research perspective on the role of media in society. The department's faculty includes Pulitzer Prize winners, who are recognized for their significant achievements in journalism.

American communication knowledge, research in the field of journalism and publicity, and journalism programs at New York University are outstanding in the field. For the team of Bulgarian scholars and faculty, the visit presents a tremendous opportunity to deepen their research, gain new knowledge, and establish academic connections with some of the most established colleagues, practitioners, and teachers worldwide. This is of exceptional value both for the level of teaching and research at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, for the projects on which the mobility programs are implemented, and for expanding the scope of communication knowledge in Bulgaria.

Bulgarian scholars had the opportunity to meet their American colleagues, including the director of the University's ethical journalism initiative and professor in the department, Prof. Steven Adler, to discuss issues in the teaching of communication majors and learn about the latest trends in the academic field of journalism and media. The discussions focused on the changing media environment, methods of researching it, ways of presenting research results, and the relationship between theory and practice. Special emphasis was placed on the changing media environment, methods of researching it, ways of presenting research results, and the link between theory and journalistic practice in the process of teaching students. These issues are extremely important for all projects and activities on which the team of Bulgarian scientists is working.

They also introduced their American colleagues to the projects they are working on, the scientific problems they are researching, and the specifics of teaching and curricula in communication majors at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication. The results of the visit, the meetings with American colleagues, the conversations and discussions, and the introduction to some new and relevant monographs and various scientific and teaching resources and studies are extremely fruitful, both for the work on the projects and for future joint academic practices and publications with colleagues from the Institute of Journalism at New York University.

During their stay in the US, they also visited the Bulgarian community in Chicago. A discussion was held on the media and its role in the modern world, touching upon various aspects – professional, ethical, political, cultural and social. The team of Bulgarian researchers approached this discussion with a research purpose, gathering data on the specifics of the media environment in Bulgaria and the US, the specific issues and problems faced by Bulgarian journalists and audiences abroad, and the impact of the media on education and other social processes.

The data obtained, which is important for the research and projects on which the team is working, will enable further study, inclusion in the analysis, and the construction of a more complete picture of media transformations. Specific steps were also identified for future cooperation with the Bulgarian community in relation to the media and the socialization of the youngest members through future joint initiatives.

The research visit of lecturers from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University to the US was an important opportunity for joint work with colleagues and practitioners on the tasks of the projects for which it was carried out, for presenting Bulgarian research achievements to authoritative and world-renowned institutions such as New York University, to build new international perspectives for academic cooperation, as well as a successful step in the planned activities under the work programs of the various projects in which the Bulgarian research team is involved.