Building on the model of the IAMCR WSIS Task Force which has completed its work, a standing Task Force on Media and Communication Policy has been established to maintain a global presence for IAMCR on important issues concerning media and communication policies. The Taskforce will draw on the interests and expertise of IAMCR members and reach out to engage with the expertise of other individuals and organizations. The Task Force members will, in consultation with members at large, set a rolling agenda of issues to be addressed, providing a focal point for debate and discussion within and beyond IAMCR.
From July 2006, as agreed by the General Assembly in Cairo, the Task Force is chaired by Professor Andrew Calabrese.
The Task Force has a mandate subject to review by the International Council every four years, at the first biennial meeting at the start of each new IAMCR presidency.
Formal mandate is:
In view of the active involvement of the IAMCR in the ongoing media and communication policy issues – at international, regional and national levels, the General Assembly resolves to establish a Standing Task Force on Media and Communication Policy, with the membership to be decided by the International Council. In the spirit of critical independent scholarship the Task Force will:
- contribute to the sharing of relevant information and documentation about media and communication policy issues, as they arise, with the broader academic community and civil society;
- facilitate the synthesizing of existing research on information society issues and feed this into relevant international forums;
- assist in the clarification of crucial policy-relevant concepts for the IAMCR membership);
- assist in the development of effective and relevant alliances with other individuals and organisations concerned with key media and communication policy issues; and
- ensure effective representation of IAMCR in selected forums (formal and informal) in line with IAMCR members’ expressed interests.