Special and Partner Sessions

Special and partner sessions included videos produced by various IAMCR committees, task forces and awards to highlight issues of concern or interest to the association and the media and communication research community and sessions produced by our partners, including regional communication research associations, inter-governmental agencies, and others. 

Academic Precarity Survey Results by the Committee for the Improvement of Academic Life

Chair: Andrea Medrado (IAMCR Vice President)

Speakers:

• Chika Anyanwu (Chair of the committee)
• Karen Arriaza Ibarra (Deputy chair of the committee)
• Fiona Martin (Member CIAL)
• Steph Hill (Member CIAL)
• Claudia Lago (Member CIAL)
• Sibo Chen (Member CIAL)
• Sergio Ricardo Quiroga (Member CIAL)

The Concept of “Care” in Communication Scholarship

Chair: Mary Beth Oliver (Penn State University)

Speakers:

• Srividya Ramasubramanian (Texas A&M University)
• Chenjerai Kumanyika (Rutgers University)
• Meghan Sanders (Louisiana State University)
• Mohan Dutta (Massey University)

COVID-19 from the Margins: Pandemic Invisibilities, Datafied Policies and Grassroots Alternatives

Chair: Stefania Milan (University of Amsterdam)

Speakers:

• Emiliano Treré (University of Cardiff)
• Francesca Musiani (Co-chair of the IAMCR Communication Policy and Technology Section)
• Preeti Raghunath (Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication)
• Arne Hintz (Cardiff University)
• Massimo Ragnedda (Northumbria University)
• Maria Laura Ruiu (Northumbria University)

Communication for Development Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Chair: Elske van de Fliert (University of Queensland)

Panelists:

• Charlotte Lapsansky (UNICEF, GASBC)
• Andrew Carlson (UNICEF, GASBC)
• Tom Jacobson (Temple University)
• Solomon Abiodun Oyeleye (Caleb University)
• Ifedolapo Ademosu (Caleb University)
• Sneh Gupta (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)
• Kulveen Trehan (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)
• Maria Cristina Gallegos (Wageningen University, CoEBUniversity of Rwanda)
• Jharna Brahma (University of Hyderabad)
• Vinod Pavarala (University of Hyderabad)
• Rico Lie (Wageningen University) 

Remembering Marie-Soileil Frère

Co-chairs: Mirjam de Bruijn (Leiden University) and Bruce Mutsvairo (Auburn University)

Speakers:

• Wendy Willems (London School of Economics)
• Lassane Yameogo (University of Burkina Faso)
• Winston Mano (University of Westminster)
• Christian Agbobli (University of Quebec)
• Toussaint Nothias (Stanford University)
• Marie Fierens (Free University of Brussels)

Marie-Soleil Frère, a Belgian journalism and media researcher best known for her work in Francophone Africa, died in April this year. This session brings together some of her friends and colleagues to talk about her life and her contributions.

Mirjam de Bruijn and Bruce Mutsvairo, convenors of this session, wrote an obituary for African Journalism Studies. Read it here.

The Challenges and Opportunities for Cross Border, Collaborative Journalism - UNESCO

Chair: Guilherme Canela (Chief of Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists Section for UNESCO)

Speakers:

• William Horsley (International director, Center for Freedom of the Media, University of Sheffield)
• Meera Selva (Deputy Director, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford)
• Alvin Ntibinyane, Editor (Ink Center for Investigative Journalism)
• Maria Teresa Ronderos, Director (Latin American Center of Investigative Journalism)

Urban Communication Research Grant Recipient Panel

Chair: Janet Wasko (University of Oregon)

Speakers:

• Masduki - The grant recipient (Universitas Islam Indonesia)
• Cees Hamelink (University of Amsterdam)
• Gary Gumpert (Urban Communication Foundation)
• Susan Drucker (Hofstra University)
• Nico Carpentier (Charles University)

Jay Blumler Commemorative Session

Chairs: 
Nico Carpentier (Charles University, Czech Republic) 
Sonia Livingstone (The London School of Economics and Political Sciences, UK)

Speakers:

• Sonia Livingstone (The London School of Economics and Political Sciences, UK)
• Stephen Coleman (University of Leeds, UK)
• Mark Deuze (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• Claudia Andrea Mellado Ruiz (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile)
• W. Lance Bennett (University of Washington, USA)

Brief comments from attendees: Jack Chester, David Weaver, Gianpietro Mazzoleni, Peter van Aelst, Sylvia Harvey, Bill Dutton, Dale Kunkel, Luke Blumler, Lee Edwards and Rick Bailey.

Covering Migration and Forced Displacement Issues: A Curriculum for Journalists - UNESCO/JRE/Erich Brost Institute

Chair: Dr. Sadia Jamil (Acting Chair, IAMCR Journalism Research and Education Section)

Speakers:

• Guy Berger (Director Policies & Strategies in the field of Communication and Information at UNESCO)
• Susanne Fengler (TU Dortmund)
• Monica Chibita (Uganda Christian University)
• Cilene Victor (Sao Paolo Metodista University)
• Svetlana Bodrunova (St. Petersburg State University)

The session is sponsored by the Journalism Research and Education Section, UNESCO and the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism.

Read UNESCO's Handbook for Journalism Educators: Reporting on Migrants and Refugees

A New Gender Deal in Media and Digital Communications / Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG)

Chair: Carla Cerqueira (Lusófona University)

Speakers:

• Aimée Vega Montiel (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
• Carolyn Byerly (Howard University)
• Sarah Macharia (World Association for Christian Communication - WACC)

Studying communication in a decolonial key: epistemological, methodological and political stakes

Chair: Daniela Monje (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Director of International Relations of the Latin American Association of Communication Researchers - ALAIC)

Speakers:

Gabriel Kaplún (Universidad de la República. President of the Latin American Association of Communication Researchers - ALAIC)
Ylva Rodny-Gumede (University of Johannesburg)
Colin Chasi (University of the Free State)
Eloína Castro-Lara (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla)
Nico Carpentier (Charles University)
Daya Thussu (Hong Kong Baptist University)
Toby Miller (Murdoch University)
Fernando Olivera Paulino (Universidade de Brasilia. Vice-President of the Latin American Association of Communication Researchers - ALAIC)

Watch this video in Spanish on ALAIC's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3WBThlWn30

Breaking borders and boundaries: UNESCO’s holistic framework of Internet Universality ROAM principles and indicators

Chair: Xianhong Hu (UNESCO Programme Specialist)

Speakers:

Guy Berger (Director of UNESCO Policies & Strategies in the field of Communication and Information)
Xianhong Hu (UNESCO Programme Specialist)
David Souter (International Peer Reviewer)
Dorothy Gordon (Information For All Programme Chair of UNESCO)
Alexandre Barbosa (Simon Ellis- Independent Consultant)
Fabio Senne
Francesca Musiani (Associate Research Professor, French National Center for Scientific Research - CNRS)
Matthias C. Kettemann (Leibniz Institute for Media Research, Hans Bredow Institute)
Grace Githaiga (Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network)
Alain Kiyindou (Universite Bordeaux Montaigne)

African Communication Research Associations

Chair: Leah Komen (Daystar University)

Speakers:

• Nnamdi Ekeanyanwu )University of Uyo. African Council for Communication Education - ACCE)
• Tanja Bosch (South African Communication Association - SACOMM)
• Wilson Ugangu (Multimedia University of Kenya. President of East African Communication Association - EACA)