IAMCR 2012 in Durban, South Africa: Mapping the Globe, Mapping the Media

As part of the upcoming conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) in Durban, South Africa, the IAMCR's Global Media Policy Working Group has organized a "Special Session" on the theme of "Mapping the Globe, Mapping the Media: A South-North Conversation on Policy Challenges". The session will introduce several mapping projects that share the goal of making media (content, tools and policies) meaningful to a broader set of actors, and allow them to contribute to framing issues and articulating solutions, and thus to participate in policy debate. Comments and responses will be offered by media practitioners, advocates and policy makers from South Africa. The session will take place on Monday, July 16th, at 4pm.

FEATURED PROJECTS

IAMCR Global Media Policy Working Group: 
GlobalMediaPolicy.net: Cartographies of Media Policy
Arne Hintz, McGill University, Canada
Claudia Padovani, University of Padova, Italy
Marc Raboy, McGill University, Canada

Open Society Foundation:
Mapping Digital Media: Understanding the Digital Transition and its Challenges
Nancy Booker, Faculty of Media and Communication, Multi Media University College of Kenya
Rodrigo Gomez,UAM-C, Observatorio de las Industrias, las políticas y los consumos culturales, Mexico
Guillermo Mastrini Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, UBA, Argentina

UNESCO:
Media Development Indicators (MDIs): A Framework for Assessing Media Development
Guy Berger, UNESCO, Director of the Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development (video message)
Steve Buckley, Consultant with UNESCO on the MDIs, United Kingdom

Internews and World Bank (video presentation) :
Media Maps: The Impact of Media Development Worldwide
Tara Susman-Pena, Consultant with Internews/World Bank, Director of Research, Media Map Project

DISCUSSANTS

Kate Skinner, SOS: Support Public Broadcasting Coalition, South Africa
Lumko Mtimde, Media Development and Diversity Agency, South Africa

 

Other sessions organized by the IAMCR Working Group on Global Media Policy:

 

Competing and Emerging Practices in Multi-level Media Policy: Challenges and Future Trends 

Monday, July 16 – 14.00-15.30
 
Chair: Marc Raboy, McGill University, Canada
Discussant: Arne Hintz, McGill University, Canada
 
Digital Terrestrial Television in Argentina: between regional geopolitics and state initiative
Guillermo Mastrini, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, UBA
Martín Becerra, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, UBA
Ana Bizberge, Universdad Buenos Aires UBA, Argentina
 
South of the West: Mobile Internet and New Modes of Governance
Gerard Goggin, Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney, Australia
Fiona Martin, Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney, Australia
Tim Dwyer, Department of Media and Communications, The University of Sydney, Australia
 
Digital TV Transition in the perspective of Public Private Partnership
Daeho Kim, Inha University, South Korea
In-Hee Kim, Inha University, South Korea
 
Does Social Media Influence the Authority of Global Media Industry over Regional Markets?
Can Bilgili, Yeditepe University, Faculty of Communication, Turkey
Deniz Sezgin, Ankara University Faculty of Communication, Turkey
 
 
North-South Conversations around Global Media Policy: Normative Standards, Strategies and Narratives 
Tuesday, July 17 – 9.00-10.30
 
Chair: Arne Hintz, McGill University, Canada, arne.hintz@mcgill.ca 
Discussant: Claudia Padovani, University of Padova, Italy, claudia.padovani@unipd.it 
 
The policy transfer approach and its place in Media Governance studies
Katharine Sarikakis, University of Vienna, Department of Communication
Sarah Anne Ganter, University of Vienna, Department of Communication
 
The battle for freedom of speech and an ethical press goes beyond the question of strengthening press regulation
Julie Reid, Department of Communication Science - University of South Africa
 
Soft diplomacy as the driving force of world politics
Heita Mashilo Boloka, Department of Communications, Republic of South Africa
 
Renegotiating media freedom: A critical assessment of the ANC’s media policy towards the press in post-independent South Africa
Sibongile Sindane, Department of Communication Science at the University of South Africa
 
 
Mapping Global Media Policy: Future Scenarios 
Tuesday, July 17 - 16.00-17.30
 
This session brings together IAMCR members who have been active contributors to the Mapping Global Media Policy project over the past years. This research and policy-oriented project has produced a digital platform, including a database and data visualization options, which has proven useful to research explorations, as well as teaching activities around media policy and communication governance. Reference to thematic sections in the platform and to the lessons learned will serve as a basis to discuss future developments in order to fully harness to potential of this open access resource for the use of all IAMCR interested members. 
 
Chair: Marc Raboy, McGill University, Canada
 
Arne Hintz, McGill University, Canada
Claudia Padovani, University of Padova, Italy
Gerard Goggin, Department of Media and Communications, University of Sydney, Australia
Daeho Kim, Inha University, South Korea
 
 
Strategic Planning Session
Thursday, July 19 – 9.00-10.30
 
Organized by the Global Media Policy Working Group in collaboration with the Task Force on Communication Policy, the Communication Policy & Technology Section, the Law Section, the Political Economy Section, and the Emerging Scholars Network

One of IAMCR’s great strengths is its emphasis on policy research and policy intervention. Several spaces have emerged where successful and innovative work has been conducted, including a task force, a working group, and several sections, and many IAMCR members have been active in different policy-relevant international fora. This has led to a variety of conversations on policy issues within IAMCR. The Durban conference is therefore a good occasion to take stock of what is happening in the various spaces, and to enhance interactions and relations between them. This session is to provide a forum for discussion amongst IAMCR sections, groups and individuals on the structures and programs of IAMCR’s engagement with policy research and policy debates, with the goal to clarify collectively a framework for the multiple policy conversations taking place at the association – from research, to information sharing, to advocacy.

The session will be divided in three blocks:
1. Mapping policy research and interventions at IAMCR: Who is doing what, on what topics, with what goals, and targeting what processes, institutions or venues?
2. Roles, remits and responsibilities: What is the remit of each policy-related entity at IAMCR, including the relevant sections, the working group and the task force? How can they interact productively and complement each other’s work? Can we clarify their roles within the broader ecology of policy spaces at IAMCR? What relevant interventions are taking place by individuals and other networks beyond the core IAMCR spaces?
3. Future research and interventions: Which upcoming policy developments should IAMCR be engaged with? Which resources, information, structures, etc. are necessary for this? With a number of international communication-related events coming up – from WSIS+10 to MDG to Beijing+20 – how can the association take advantage of opportunities for policy intervention, in view of strengthening its capacity to orientate debates as well as connecting global discussions to local practices?
 
The Global Media Policy Working Group offers the space of its Business Meeting for this broader debate. The end of the meeting will be reserved for Working Group business, including the elections of its chair and vice-chairs.
 
Chair: Claudia Padovani, University of Padova, Italy
Vice-chair: Arne Hintz, McGill University, Canada