DOI 10.55206/XOMU2635
Prof. Dr. Simeon Vasilev
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
E-mail: sivasilev@uni-sofia.bg
Prof. Dr. Yanka Totseva
University of National and World Economy
E-mail: yanka.totseva@unwe.bg
Issue No. 69 of Rhetoric and Communications continues the tradition of publishing research findings obtained through both traditional and contemporary methods, focusing on new and rapidly evolving fields of analysis, such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, the media ecosystem, and changes in education at the university and school levels. This issue brings together 12 scholarly articles in two sections.
The first one is titled “Communication in Media and Society”, and two of the articles in this section are devoted to fact-checking, a topical issue in contemporary media and communication studies.
In one article, researchers Milen Filipov and Nilufar Sulaimonova present findings related to an analysis of fact-checking activities in the media in Kazakhstan.
In the second article, Tihomira Doncheva presents the results of a study on fact-checking and the use of artificial intelligence.
The second area of research focuses on the media in Bulgaria.
Aneta Milkova examines the legal framework, the limits of media regulation, and communication.
Tanya Dimova discusses the functions of the Bulgarian National Radio, emphasizing the cultural role of the “Hristo Botev” program while taking into account changes in the digital media landscape.
Alexander Blagoev presents the results of a study on social identity in communication through memes and participation in online challenges.
Damyan Bumbalov clarifies, from a theoretical and methodological perspective, the scope and content of the concept of “monumental sculpture” and its communicative functions in public space.
The second section includes interesting publications in which rhetoric and communication are studied in university and school settings.
Faculty members from two universities in Ukraine – Mykola Chursin, Halyna Shevchenko, Tetiana Antonenko, and Tetiana Zinovieva – present the results of a timely and in-depth theoretical review related to changes in higher education resulting from technological transformations and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into the educational process.
The topic of artificial intelligence is also addressed in several other articles.
Radeya Gesheva analyzes the transformations in the didactics of foreign-language literature in the era of artificial intelligence, focusing on Italian literature, for the teaching of which she provides many excellent practical examples in terms of methodology.
Rhetoric is explored in new and interesting fields from a scholarly and methodological perspective: art, theater, education, and teaching in academic and school settings.
Evgenia Roeva presents the findings of a study on the application of rhetoric and public speaking in education and its intersections with educational theater when working with elementary school students.
Ralitsa Bezhan presents the results of a study on fundamental rhetorical canons from Aristotle to the era of artificial intelligence, contemporary theatrical performances and productions, and chatbots.
Irena Shunina presents, in a captivating and compelling manner, the rhetoric of the heart and ethics in Shalva Amonashvili’s humanistic pedagogy.
Boyan Zahariev highlights the specifics of pedagogical communication when using the LEGO® Serious Play® method: spatial projections and social identity as the result of field observation and a pedagogical experiment with Roma students from a neighborhood school.
Prof. Dr. Simeon Vasilev is a professor in the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. He is the head of the Department of Communication and Audiovisual Production. He is the author of the books “The Global Gambit”, “The Globalized Absurd”, “International Politics”, “The Decade: In the Shadow of Leaders, Crises, Elections, and Wars”, “Leadership and the Media”, “In the Spiral of Sharing: Media Content and Social Networks”, and “Media Ecosystem: Challenges of Transformation”.
Prof. Dr. Yanka Totseva is a professor in the Department of Pedagogy at the University of National and World Economy. Her research interests lie in the fields of pedagogy, rhetoric, andragogy, intercultural communication, and intercultural education. She is the author of over 180 scholarly publications, published both in Bulgaria and abroad, including the books: “Rhetoric”, “Issues in Adult Education”, and “Communication Management in Education”; she is also co-author of “Pedagogical Rhetoric”, “Interactive Adult Learning”, “Pedagogical Interactions in a Multicultural Environment”, “Trends and Perspectives in the Development of Digital Competencies Among Bulgarian Teachers”, and others. She has organized five conferences dedicated to pedagogical communication. She lectures on topics related to educational theory and administration, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in the teaching of economic disciplines.
Issue 69 of the Rhetoric and Communications Journal (October 2026) is published with the financial support of the Scientific Research Fund, Contract No. KP-06-NP7/23 of December 08, 2025.
