MEDIA SECTOR DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP - CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2022

The Media Sector Development Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2022, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July 2022. The conference will also have a national hub at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2022, at 23.59 UTC.

See the CfPs of all sections and working groups >

Conference Themes

IAMCR conferences have a main conference theme (with several sub-themes) that is explored from multiple perspectives throughout the conference in plenaries, in the programmes of our sections and working groups, and in the Flow34 virtual cinema and podcasts stream. They also have many themes defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. Proposals submitted to sections and working groups may be centered on an aspect of the main conference theme as it relates to the central concerns of the section or working group, or they may address the additional themes identified by the section or working group in their individual calls for proposals.

The main theme for IAMCR 2022, “Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges and Changing Contexts,” is concerned with possibilities for rethinking communication research agendas in the post-pandemic world, which has seen dramatic shifts in the way we interact and understand our physical, social, cultural, political and material environments.

Eight sub-themes of this central theme have been identified: Reorienting Media and Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Artificial Intelligence in Global Communication Contexts; Cultural Identities and Dis-Identities in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Communication for Sustainability: Climate Change, Environment, and Health; Media Ethics and Principles in the Digital Age; Media, Communication, and the Construction of Global Public Health; Data/Digital Science and Intercultural Communication; Digital Platforms and Public Service: Science, Technology and Sustainability. See the complete theme description and rationale here.

The Media Sector Development Working Group invites proposals that address the general IAMCR conference theme "Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges and Changing Contexts" in relation to ongoing debates and discussion related to re-imagining media development in light of shifting economic, social, and political realities. We also invite proposals that address the following more specific Working Group theme: Media Sector Development in an Era of Changing Civic Space.

These proposals may explore issues such as:

Journalism and Information as a Public Good

Media development has long debated the merits of commercial vs. public service media as models for how to best develop local and national media systems. Is this debate between commercial and public service still valid today? Is there an emerging model that supports the idea of journalism as a public good, i.e. bearing hallmarks of non-rivalry and non-excludability?
How can we better support inclusive, pluralistic, and independent media?
What implications do today’s global crises have on the development of journalism and information ecosystems and how media systems develop?
Do donor-funded media sector development initiatives do enough to support journalism and information as a public good? Are there any case studies that can be cited as examples or that we can learn lessons from?

Theories of Change and Models of Impact Measurement

Current debates about whether we are living in an era of closing or changing civic space have given rise a number of critiques and reflections on the role of liberalism and the future of democracy. How should media sector development theories of change and models of impact adapt and respond to changing realities and fluctuations in liberal democratic models of media assistance i.e. philanthropic or foreign aid designed to support the development of media systems?
Do current trends in democratic backsliding (for more than 16 years running) give pause to traditional theories and normative understandings of the role that a free press plays in the development and sustainability of democracy?

Sustainability of Journalism and News Media

How has digitalization, datafication, platformization, and intelligencification changed the game for media business models?
Has neo-globalization inspired a new pathway forward for efforts to design and develop sustainable journalism and news media?
What do sustainable journalism and media sector development look like around the world – what emerging models and trends are we seeing that give cause for hope or more reasons for despair?
Is local journalism development compatible with global media?

In addressing the above themes, and other themes of relevance to the Working Group, we welcome both empirical studies and contributions that are normative in character or aimed at conceptual/methodological development. Proposals can be about single national case-studies or be comparative/cross-national in scope. We also welcome historical studies that can contribute, through the lens of the past, to a critical understanding of contemporary issues facing the media development sector. We are an inclusive and geographically and culturally diverse working group and we welcome contributions from both practitioners and academics.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts are requested for the Online Conference Papers component. Abstracts submitted to the Media Sector Development Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online at https://iamcr2022.exordo.com. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.

The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 February 2022 at 23h59 UTC.

See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind

It is expected that authors will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as first author. No more than one 1 abstract can be submitted by an author to the Media Sector Development Working Group. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Any such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected.

Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals. You can find the detailed procedures when submitting your abstract online in the abstract submission system.

If your abstract is accepted, you will need to submit your full conference paper (1,000 to 4,000 words) by 7 June 2022, in order to be included in the programme.

Languages

The Media Sector Development Working Group will accept abstracts in English, French, and Spanish for the 2022 conference.

For further information about the conference contact beijing2022 [at] iamcr.org

For further information about the Media Sector Development Working Group, its themes, submissions, and panels please contact:

Co-chairs:

Nick Benequista
nbenequista [at] gmail.com

and

Susan Abbott
w1622663 [at] my.westminster.ac.uk / susanabbott1 [at] gmail.com

Vice-Chairs:

Winston Mano
w.mano [at] westminster.ac.uk

and

Jairo Lugo-Ocando
jairo.lugo-ocando [at] northwestern.edu