IAMCR - International Association for Media and Communication Research

The Law Section invites submissions for its open sessions at the IAMCR Conference (July 21-24 2009) in Mexico City, Mexico, under the general theme of the Conference "Human Rights and Communication." The Conference addresses relationships between media and contemporary understanding of the freedom of expression and right to information. It will explore the pivotal roles of the media with regard to today's global injustices to the human rights.

Papers discussing theoretical or methodological perspectives and/or documenting specific case studies are welcome. Joint sessions with other relevant sections and working groups can be organised.

Proposed topics that will be considered include a wide variety of issues that relate to research in relation to processes of media regulation. This includes the following subjects:

1. Freedom of the media: International law vs. national jurisdiction
   The subject theme will focus on the expansion of national legislations on freedom of the mass communication, given 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).
   
   
2. Free expression limits and regional human rights courts
   Focus is on the case-law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, as well as that of the European Court of Human Rights on freedom of expression. Activity of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information will also be subject of scrutiny.
   
   
3. Modern censorship, intimidation and human rights
   Forms of attacks on journalists and editors, methods of soft censorship in practice in transition societies will be examined at this session.
   
   
4. Right to information vs official secrecy law
   How FoI works in the framework of the global war on terrorism and prevention of political extremism?
   
   
5. Copyright and human rights: is there a contradiction?
   Freedom of expression can be limited by copyright. What is the limit of restriction? Does it expand or shrink in the times of modern technologies? Copyright issues of digital content in a democratic world.
   
   
6. Internet regulation and journalism
   Traditional for the Law Section theme: any new models of legal regulation of Internet? Internet, Blogosphere and Public sphere: Implication for Content control and deliver in divided world.
   

Abstracts of no more than 500 words, bearing on the Conference Theme and addressing one or more of the above topics should be submitted to Andrei Richter (richter.andrei[AT]gmail.com) and Mohammad Sahid Ullah (ullah_sahid[AT]yahoo.co.uk) before 31 January 2009. Please put as subject of your e-mail "IAMCR Law Section".

Abstracts should explicitly state the prospective nature of the paper, explain the methodology or approaches used and present the empirical material on which the paper is based. There are to be no biographical notes or references in the abstract. Each abstract must include title, name(s), institutional address and email address of author(s).

You may submit the same abstract or paper to only one section or working group. You may submit different papers to different sections or working groups or, as the case may be, different papers to the same section. If the same paper is submitted to different sections or working groups, IAMCR and the local organisers of the conference will ensure that it is (if accepted) presented in only one session.

Paper abstracts have to be submitted before February 16, 2009. Evaluation results will be announced by March 29, 2009. The deadline for submitting full papers is July 1, 2009.

For further information on the 2009 Mexico City Conference visit the conference website . Also visit the Law Section website.

Law Section Heads: Andrei Richter (Russia) and Mohammad Sahid Ullah (Bangladesh)