IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research

In recent years free, on line journals, many of them open access and peer-reviewed, have begun to both challenge and complement traditional academic publishing. This is a welcome development and IAMCR is developing a resource on its website with links to journals in the field of media and communications.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), IAMCR joins UNESCO and other international and regional media organizations to celebrate the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative. WMN is a global policy advocacy initiative aimed at promoting gender equality in the media.

The theme for this year, Rural women’s access to media and information, seeks to underscore and stimulate knowledge exchange on: the importance of policies in favour of access to media and information in rural communities, particularly for women; and good practices undertaken by public service broadcasters, commercial and community media, and NGOs.

It's time for IAMCR members to renew their membership for 2012. All individual and institutional members should have received an email recently reminding them that their 2012 membership fees are due.

If you aren't yet a member, join online and become part of the worldwide professional organisation in the field of media and communication research.

The International Association for Media and Communication Research invites submissions of abstracts for papers and panel proposals for the 2012 IAMCR conference to be held from July 15-19, 2012 at the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa.

The conference will be held under the general theme, 'South-North Conversations'. The theme reflects the asymmetry of global communication flows, but without implying the negatives that usually accompany discussions of the 'digital divide'. The theme also calls for balanced and empowering narratives that do not regard those in ‘the South’ as victims primarily in need of handouts from the more affluent.

The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2012.

IAMCR Secretary General, Hopeton Dunn, has been reappointed for a second five-year term as chairman of the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica, the regulatory body for radio, television, and cable TV in Jamaica.

In addition to his position with IAMCR, Professor Dunn is director of the Telecommunications Policy and Management programme at the Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies (UWI) and professor of Communications Policy and Digital Media at the UWI.

News article: Dunn reappointed Broadcasting Commission chairman, Daily Gleaner (Jamaica), 4 November 2011.