Call for Papers Strategies for Media Reform: An International Workshop International Communication Association Pre-conference London - June 17, 2013 Sponsored by: Philosophy, Theory and Critique division, Communication Law and Policy division, and Global Communication and Social Change division Hosted by: Department of Media and Communications, Goldsmiths, University of London and Coordinating Committee for Media Reform (CCMR). Supported by: Department of Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Donald McGannon Communication Research Center, Fordham University, Global Media and Communication, Communication, Culture and Critique. Given the crises of accountability, accessibility, legitimacy and funding facing media systems across the world, there are currently unprecedented opportunities for media reform: for re-imagining, restructuring and reviving our means of communication in the public interest. In a whole range of countries, from Australia to Argentina and from China to the US, we are seeing campaigns--from the hyper-local to the national--to secure more democratic, responsive and representative media systems and forms of media coverage. The need to redistribute cultural resources on a more equitable and transparent basis is rapidly becoming associated with wider movements for social justice not just in opposition to concentrated ownership but also in resisting the corporate grab of the internet, supporting public-oriented journalism and pressing for more accountability and diversity in our media systems. This pre-conference will highlight efforts across a range of countries to build vibrant and viable media reform movements and offer all participants the chance to reflect on the strategies required to grow and sustain campaigns for media democracy. It will attempt to gather together significant examples of theory, advocacy and activism and to answer some of the most familiar questions facing media reform activists such as: o How do activists and academics generate interest in media reform? o How do we build meaningful coalitions that can secure progressive change? o What is the role of academics in generating research and providing support to media reform networks? o What are the intellectual and political foundations of media reform? o What are the common threads that link reform movements internationally? o Is media reform enough? How do we link with other campaigns for social justice? Concrete outcomes of the pre-conference will include: o Strengthening an emerging international network of media reform scholars; o Mapping of common themes in terms of national, regional and global scope (e.g., cross-media ownership, digital freedom of expression); o Ideas for collaborative and comparative research projects; and o Potentially contributing chapters for an upcoming edited volume on Communication Research in Action: International Perspectives (working title, to be proposed for Fordham University Press). Call For Papers This pre-conference calls for contributions from scholars and activists reflecting on pressing concerns and complementary challenges facing media reform movements throughout the world. This could include: o The use of social media to build reform movements o Successes and challenges of movements for democratic media legislation o Key principles and paradigms that underpin media reform campaigns o How to prioritize media in wider movements for social justice o How to resist the threat of unaccountable media power o How best to theorize the democracy and activism that will empower media reformers o How best to understand and apply historical battles for media democratization. Abstracts of 300 words (maximum) should be submitted no later than 30 November 2012. Send abstracts to: Philip Napoli at [1]mcgctr@fordham.edu Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the pre-conference no later than December 20, 2012. Full papers will need to be submitted no later than May 15, 2013. This pre-conference will be held at Goldsmiths, University of London, 9.30-17:30 hrs, followed by a public rally in central London at 7pm for ICA and non-ICA delegates addressing key issues facing the international media reform movement. Cost: $30 (includes morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch). For informal queries, please contact Des Freedman, d.freedman@gold.ac.uk References 1. mailto:pnapoli@fordham.edu