ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Edited by: Luis A. Albornoz and Trinidad García Leiva

This book reflects critically on issues of diversity, access, and the expansion of digital technologies in audio-visual industries, particularly in terms of economics and policies.

It brings together specialists in cultural diversity and media industries, presenting an international and interdisciplinary collection of essays that draw from different fields of studies – notably Communication, Economics, Political Science and Law. Among the topics discussed are: the principle of diversity as a goal of cultural and communication policies, the assessment of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity, free trade agreements and the conception of cultural goods and services they advance, the challenges faced by the production, circulation and consumption of cultural content through the Internet, the role algorithms play in the organization and functioning of online platforms, Netflix and the hegemony of global media. The approach is a critical understanding of audio-visual diversity, that aims to transcend specific issues like media ownership, ideas portrayed or modes of consumption as such, to focus on a more balanced distribution of communicative power.

More here: https://www.routledge.com/Audio-Visual-Industries-and-Diversity-Economics-and-Policies-in-the-Digital/Albornoz-Garcia-Leiva/p/book/9781138384453

The Global Undergraduate Award (UA) seeks for Judges in Social Sciences: Anthropology & Cultural Studies category.

UA is the world’s largest global undergraduate academic awards programme. A non-profit organisation initially founded in Ireland, we discover excellence at the undergraduate level by inviting the world’s best students to submit their coursework. There are 25 award categories, and we invite experts to assess students' work in each.

Headed up this year by Returning Chair Dr. Zakaryya Abdel-Hady of Qatar University, Social Sciences: Anthropology & Cultural Studies is an essay-based category which has always received a lot of Submissions at UA. In recent years, the category is becoming increasingly popular among students working in interdisciplinary fields of gender studies, critical race theory, queer theory, cultural studies, migration studies, and disability studies, and therefore it is important that the experience and approaches of panellists reflect this as UA grow the number of Judges on the panel to balance workload. I would appreciate if you would assist UA in circulating our Call for Judges for this panel with your network (CFJ image attached for Social Media sharing, if applicable). More information for Judging candidates on the process and how to sign up can be found online here: https://undergraduateawards.com/the-ua-network/ua-judges.

Acting as a Judge for UA allows academics to meet colleagues in their panel from all over the world, and it also exposes Judges to some of the best undergraduate student coursework in their field. This exposure can be particularly advantageous for individuals working in academia or intending to work in academia. We primarily accept Judges who are professors, lecturers, tutorial assistants, PhD candidates, and professional experts outside of the arena of academia.

For more information or to apply, contact jenny@undergraduateawards.com.

October 24-25, 2019

Helsinki, Finland

Deadline: May 15, 2019

International Conference Organized by the Helsinki Media Policy Research Group, the University of Helsinki, the ECREA Communication Law and Policy Section and the Euromedia Research Group , and supported by the IAMCR Communication Policy & Technology Section.

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/communication-rights-in-the-digital-age

The rights-based perspective on ethical and political questions presented by the new digital media has recently regained attention in academic and political debates. The formulation of human rights in general is based on a communication right – freedom of expression – as well as a right to take part and be heard in a dialogue. In the digital era, the role of communication has been magnified.

Calls for the protection of citizens’ “digital rights,” for example, have resulted in countless reports and declarations by governments, international bodies and activist organizations over the past two decades. In addition to debates on the consequences of digital transformations for established rights, such as freedom of expression, new rights have been envisioned, such as “the right to be forgotten” and the right to internet access.

Thus far, there are more academic, public and policy debates than solid and sustainable legal and policy solutions. This is not surprising given the complexity of these rights, which have many context-based variations, operate on the cusp of theory and praxis, and are constantly evolving with technological advances. Communication rights refer not only to legal norms but also more broadly to the freedoms and norms that have special significance to societies and individuals.

Due to the importance of communication rights to societies and democracy, it is imperative to understand how those rights are defined, manifested, regulated and monitored today. The realization of communication rights is further shaped by economic, political and socio-cultural situations. What do we know about these contexts? How can we accumulate a better conceptual and empirical understanding of communication rights?

This conference will specifically address the interplay of national and global (universal and specific) characteristics of communication rights. Core questions include but are not limited to the following:

• What are some definitions of communication rights?
• What should be considered communication rights?
• What is their relationship to human rights and/or natural rights?
• How do communication rights differ from the classic reliance on speech rights as the basis for media regulation?
• Who are the policy and other actors defining these rights in national and international contexts, and what are their roles in discursive and/or policy-making contexts?
• How do different academic disciplines respond to the concept of communication rights?
• How are rights interpreted in different empirical contexts?
• For instance, communication rights and their position in national constitutions
• What are current core issues or cases that pertain to communication rights?

These may include but are not limited to:

• Market concentration, platforms and “big tech”: EU and national responses
• For instance, platforms financing media and their influence on journalism
• New policies for diversity; new tools and policies for media support and sustainability
• For instance, media flows, cultural diversity and new policy tools, such as the Netflix tax, or old policy tools, such as quotas
• The influence of party politics and populism (and the context of hate speech) on freedom of speech
• Increasing state control of media outlets, including public broadcasters
• We are especially interested in novel conceptual and theoretical interventions, but we also appreciate comparative empirical approaches.
• Presenters will be invited to submit to a special issue of the Journal of Information Policy.

Confirmed keynote speaker:

Philip M. Napoli, James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy and Professor of the International Comparative Studies Program, Duke University, United States.

Submission:

Please submit your proposal of max. 500 words, including your affiliation and contact information, by 15 May 2019 to minna.aslama@helsinki.fi.

You will receive notification of acceptance by 15 June 2019.

Registration and fee:

Registration will be open 15 June through 15 October.

Registration fee: €100

Reduced student fee: €40

For more information and enquiries, please contact minna.aslama@helsinki.fi and irina.khaldarova@helsinki.fi and see: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/communication-rights-in-the-digital-age.

The 2019 JERAA Conference

December 4-6, 2019

University of Sidney

Deadline: June 28, 2019

Journalism has always been a pluralist and precarious pursuit. Its many forms emerged from songs and royal reports, pamphlets and gazettes, consolidated with the emergence of the mass media, and have now diverged again in the age of social and participatory media, augmentation and algorithmic production. It has always been risky for journalists to monitor and question the actions of the powerful, but now diverse economic and political factors threaten journalism’s future and a discourse of crisis often overshadows its evident potential to evolve.

In 2019, the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia conference, to be held at the University of Sydney, invites papers and panel proposals that address the theme of ‘Journalisms: plurality, precarity and possibilities’. Contributions could address any of the following topics within those themes, or related research:

Plurality

Indigenous, Asian and Pasifika journalisms; media diversity and pluralism initiatives; slow and indie magazine journalisms; literary journalism and memoir; student publications…

Precarity

Industry consolidation, job loss, forced career change and employment insecurity; future of public interest journalism after Fairfax; legal constraints; journalism safety and health initiatives…

Possibilities

Jobs and skillsets for next-gen digital journalism; automated journalism; managing journalism partnerships; work integrated learning, education and training for the future…

Paper abstracts will be 300 words max. listing title, author/s and affiliation, abstract and keywords.

Panel abstracts will have a 200 word overview, with 200 words from each participant on their contribution. They should also list panel title, author/s and affiliation, abstract and keywords.

Key dates

• Paper and panel abstracts for peer review: June 28
• Notification following review: August 30
• Registrations open: August 31
• (Earlybird until Sept. 30 and standard until Nov. 8th)

Please submit your abstracts at: jeraaconference2019@gmail.com

JERAA 2019 will be hosted by the University’s Dept. of Media and Communications (MECO) and the School of Literature Arts and Media. Contact Dr Fiona Martin (convenor) and Dr Margaret Van Heekeren (organiser) for more information at jeraaconference2019@gmail.com.

More here.

School of Communication and Arts, University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia

Deadline: April 19, 2019

The School of Communication and Arts at The University of Queensland, Australia is advertising a continuing Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Digital Media. This is a continuing teaching and research academic appointment (equivalent to Assistant Professor/Associate Professor).

See the full job ad here: http://jobs.uq.edu.au/caw/en/job/505313/lecturersenior-lecturer-in-digital-media

Applications are due 19 April 11.55pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.

We are seeking a colleague in Communication and Digital Media to collaborate in teaching and research that responds critically to contemporary media cultures and industries characterised by the emergence of media platforms, the ubiquity of data collection and analysis, and the accelerating use of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The candidate will join us at a critical juncture, playing a crucial role in shaping the nature and scope of our growing programs, namely the Digital Media major within the Bachelor of Communication.

We are looking for someone whose teaching and research speaks to and investigates the intersection between the practice and the critical theorization of digital media. UQ’s Bachelor of Communication heavily emphasises the exchanges between theory and practice, between thinking and doing, and between critiquing digital culture and seeing oneself as an active participant and shaper of that culture.

We’re particularly interested to hear from candidates whose work engages with computational methods, data visualisation, data analytics, and/or data cultures. We’re open to applications from scholars across humanities, social sciences, media and cultural studies, digital humanities, digital rhetoric, design, computer and data science and/or other relevant backgrounds.

The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China

Deadline: May 3, 2019, 11:59pm (Beijing time)

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/BRI129/assistant-professor-lecturer-in-media-communications-or-cultural-studies

The University of Nottingham Ningbo, China, a pioneer in Sino-foreign tertiary education, is rapidly expanding. It is looking for ambitious, talented academics with a passion for teaching as well as research flair to join its team. UNNC is part of the University of Nottingham’s Global University, and offers unique teaching and research opportunities in a highly dynamic economy.

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China is currently ranked in the world top 300 for the discipline of Communication as measured by the Shanghai ARWU: http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/communication.html

The recruitment of a research-active media, communications or cultural studies scholar will contribute to the maintenance and/or improvement of The University of Nottingham Ningbo China’s ranking.

Our BA (Hons) in International Communications is a provincial level accredited degree which includes a dedicated programme of study for a European or East Asian language. Its sister programme, BA (Hons) in International Communications with Chinese, has proved successful in attracting high quality international students to our school. We currently run an MA programme in International Communications and also have one of the most successful PhD programmes in the university.

We have been graduating students for more than ten years and our alumni have continued their education in some of the world’s leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, as well as working for companies like the Bank of China, L’Oreal, Ogilvy & Mather and the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

The post-holder will be expected to teach across the full range of our programmes, undertake supervision of BA and MA dissertation students and PGR students, and conduct research and external engagement in the school’s main research areas. More details of the school and its teaching and research activities can be found here: https://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/internationalcommunications/index.aspx

Candidates will need to have a PhD in a discipline relevant to the post and a demonstrable ability to teach media and communication studies, or cultural studies. Some experience of teaching/tutorial work in relevant subjects at undergraduate or postgraduate level in an international English-speaking institution, as well as evidence of peer-reviewed research outputs in media and communication studies or cultural studies are also essential requirements of this post.

Salary will be within the range of £36,261 – £48,677 per annum depending on skills and experience (salary progression beyond these scales is subject to performance). In addition, an attractive package including accommodation allowance, travel allowance and insurance will be provided for international appointments.

This post is available from 2 September 2019 or thereafter and will initially be offered on a fixed-term contract with the University of Nottingham Ningbo China for a period of up to five years. This contract may be extended on an indefinite basis by mutual agreement, subject to revised terms and conditions.

ALL applicants are required to formally apply online for the position: https://hrms.nottingham.edu.cn/psc/PRDHCM/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJOB.GBL?Page=HRS_APP_JBPST&Action=U&FOCUS=Applicant&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=180620&PostingSeq=1

Informal enquires may be addressed to Professor Andrew White, Head of School of International Communications, email: andrew.white@nottingham.edu.cn. Please note that applications sent directly to this address will not be accepted.

Please be advised that your references will be contacted prior to interview. Interviews will take place in Ningbo, China, towards the middle or end of June.

If you are unable to apply on-line please contact the Human Resources Department, Tel: 86 574 8818 0000, Ext.8966, Email: job@nottingham.edu.cn

Please quote ref: 180620 Closing date: 11:59pm (Beijing time) 3 May 2019

The School of Communications, Dublin City University

Deadline: May 3, 2019

The School of Communications at DCU is home to almost 1,000 students at undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD levels. With a tradition stretching back almost 40 years, the School is defined by excellence in both teaching and research in journalism, multimedia and communications studies. In the QS global subject rankings in 2019 DCU was in the top 200 of almost 4,500 universities worldwide in the area of communications. DCU is ranked number 1 nationally in Communications & Media Studies.

The School’s academics undertake research that contributes to national and international debates and to public policy formation. They have also led research projects supported by national and international funders.

This cutting-edge research is across a range of (inter)disciplinary fields including (new) media studies, media history, journalism studies, science communication, political communication, social media studies, film and television studies, music industry studies, advertising, and cultural studies. In the past five years, the School has supported approximately 40 doctoral students to achieve PhD awards through this scheme.

The School now has an opening for up to six funded PhD scholarships (across a four-year duration). As well as a tax-free stipend of €16,000 plus fees, we also support our students with funding for conference travel and offer PhD students opportunities to gain teaching experience.

Scholarships are open to those working in a wide array of theoretical, epistemological and methodological approaches relevant to our school, this year, we particularly welcome applications in the following areas:

Digital challenges for journalism and politics:

Fellowship(s) in this area will ideally focus on the social and political impact of recent changes in the media environment. Particular relevant are comparative studies on the relationship between social media platforms and news organizations, algorithmic power, disinformation and political polarization. (For further information, contact Dr. Alessio Cornia – alessio.cornia@dcu.ie)

Digital media technologies in urban space:

Fellowship(s) in this area will ideally focus on the social and spatial impact of digital media technologies in urban space. These might involve (but are not limited to) surveillance and privacy issues, smart city infrastructures, the role of artificial intelligence and algorithms in everyday life, participatory art performances, interactive installations, mixed reality, public play interventions or any other projects that critically analyze the role of ubiquitous computing in the contemporary mediated city. Practice-based projects are encouraged and working knowledge of practice-based creative media software and front-end programming. User interface and user experience is preferable. (For further information, contact Dr. Marcos Dias – marcos.dias@dcu.ie)

Popular culture and new forms of promotion:

Fellowship(s) in this area will ideally focus on sport, advertising and/or tourism. Possible research topics might include: mediasport; digital advertising; sporting subcultures; screen tourism; sport and nation branding; and work in the promotional industries. (For further information, contact Dr. Neil O’Boyle – neil.oboyle@dcu.ie)

Worlds of Journalism:

Fellowship(s) in this area draw on the School’s involvement in the Worlds of Journalism study founded to regularly assess the state of journalism throughout the world. The project explores the different ways journalists perceive their duties, their relationship to society and government, and the nature and meaning of their work. Proposals are specifically welcomed that make use of the project’s dataset on trust and demographics. Please see http://www.worldsofjournalism.org/ before preparing an application. The successful applicant will also work as a research assistant on the next phase of the project to commence in 2020. (For further information, contact Prof. Kevin Rafter – kevin.rafter@dcu.ie)

Media Policy & Regulation:

Fellowship(s) in this area will will explore how established conceptions of media concentration and media pluralism are being (or will be) altered by the emergence of new data and information infrastructures. Google, Facebook, Twitter et al. have increasingly become not just constitutive elements of the global media industries since the beginning of the 21st century but arguably now dominate these sectors. Traditional studies of media concentration and pluralism have tended to focus on how to regulate ownership and control of legacy media organisations in the print and broadcast fields. However, given the key role played by digital intermediaries, the research undertaken will seek to 1) establish how these new players effect the diversity of news and information available to individual consumers and 2) how/whether such entities might be regulated to ensure that the emerging media ecology is as pluralistic as possible. (For further information, contact Dr. Roddy Flynn – roddy.flynn@dcu.ie)

General PhD scholarship(s):

In addition to the above targeted areas, we also welcome applications for doctoral research projects across the broader range of media, communications and journalism fields. Applications are also welcomed from prospective candidates wishing to pursue practice-led PhDs. Candidates must have consulted with a potential supervisor before applying. Current research interests of our staff can be viewed via their profiles at this link: https://www.dcu.ie/communications/people-staff.shtml

N.B. Applications should consist of a 2,000 word research proposal as well as a brief CV detailing academic qualifications and professional experience to date.

Applications to: Ms. Catherine Delaney, Secretary, School of Communications (commsschooloffice@dcu.ie)

General inquiries to: Dr. Jim Rogers, Chair of PhD Studies (jim.rogers@dcu.ie)

Closing date: Friday May 3, 2019

September 13-14, 2019

Department of Media Studies, University of Novi Sad, Serbia

Deadline: April 20, 2019

The Department of Media Studies invites you to the 11th International Conference Bridges of Media Education 2019 to be held on 13th and 14th September 2019 at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

The conference aims to gather researchers from the Central and Eastern Europe (and beyond) in exchange of scientific knowledge and experience. Thematically oriented towards regional challenges and questions brought by digital technologies, it encourages the discussions about global processes and trends in the light of local specificities.

The key themes of the conference in 2019 are:

• Changing political communication in digital environment: EU elections, populism and citizen participation
• New technologies, new literacies, new responsibilities - for media, journalists and audiences
• Global digital landscapes and local challenges

Plenary speaker: Prof. dr. Mark Deuze, University of Amsterdam

Working language of the conference is English.

Important dates

• 20 April 2019: Deadline for submission of abstracts
• 5 May 2019: Notification of acceptance
• 15 June 2019: Registration for the conference
• 1 September 2019: Payment of conference fee
• 5 September 2019: Submission of full papers

Abstract submission

To submit abstract proposal please fill in the form available online: https://goo.gl/qGJBoC

One author can submit only one paper. There cannot be more than two co-authors per paper.

Your application should be sent not later than 20th April 2019. The applications received after the deadline will not be considered. All accepted applicants will receive a notice of acceptance by 5th May 2019.

Registration and participation fee

Conference fee is 25 euro for PhD students and 40 euros for other participants. Please check our website for further information on registration and payment policy.

Edited volume

Selected peer-reviewed papers will be published in the Edited Volume after the Conference. The deadline for submission of full length papers is 5th September 2019. Instructions for manuscript submission will be provided after 30th April 2019.

For further information or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Department of Media Studies

Faculty of Philosophy, University in Novi Sad

Zorana Đinđića 2, 21000 Novi Sad

Tel/fax: +381 21 455 603

bridges.of.media.education@gmail.com

http://medijskestudije.ff.uns.ac.rs/bme/

Edited by: Arezou Zalipour 

This book is the first ever collection on diasporic screen production in New Zealand. Through contributions by a diverse range of local and international scholars, it identifies the central characteristics, histories, practices and trajectories of screen media made by and/or about migrant and diasporic peoples in New Zealand, including Asians, Pacific Islanders and other communities. It addresses issues pertinent to representation of migrant and diasporic life and experience on screen, and showcases critical dialogues with directors, scriptwriters, producers and other key figures whose work reflects experiences of migration, diaspora and multiculturalism in contemporary New Zealand.

With a foreword by Hamid Naficy, the key theorist of accented cinema, this comprehensive collection addresses essential questions about migrant, multicultural and diasporic screen media, policies of representation, and the new aesthetic styles and production regimes emerging from New Zealand film and TV. Migrant and Diasporic Film and Filmmaking in New Zealand is a touchstone for emerging work concerned with migration, diaspora and multiculturalism in New Zealand’s screen production and practice.

Purchase here.

Deadline (abstracts): April 30, 2019

IJFMA is preparing a special issue titled ‘Flow and Archive’ dedicated to Television and to its current challenges

The digital turn has allowed television to be reimagined after the networked computers. Following the telephone and radio, the new paradigm inspiring the future of television are the networked computers, their social networks and the participatory visual culture established on the aftermath of the twentieth century cultural industries. After the liveness and flow, definitional components of television, we are currently offered with DVR-mediated television experiences and collections of short videos which can be uploaded, viewed and shared by the viewer. By becoming searchable and accessible online, television provides a similar experience to the archives and to the video aggregators that entertain the new generations of cellphone viewers. The discussion about the future of television not only makes it worth thinking about its past, the cultural value of its equipments and its most resilient genres, but is certainly an opportunity to analyse how TV journalism is challenged by social networks, and how its public service can be revalued.

IJFMA welcomes papers addressing one or more of the following themes:

• Early and current screen practices
• TV superseded equipments as material and cultural heritage
• TV and media participatory turn
• TV and transmedia industries
• Old and resilient TV genres
• Flow versus archive as a television challenge
• Memory and the obsolete in online video collections
• Social networks and other new challenges to public service broadcasting;

Contributions are encouraged from authors with different kinds of expertise and interests in media studies, television and media history.

Abstracts submissions are due by April 30, 2019.

Full papers deadline: May 30, 2019

Please find submission informations at http://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/about/submissions

Journal Website: http://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma

For any query, please contact: victor.flores@ulusofona.pt