1. Role of the Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse processes statements and/or manages the process of signing statements generated by others when they are principally concerned with issues relating to media/communications and where IAMCR members have substantive scientific expertise that provides a basis for seeking to influence discursive or material practice.
Clearinghouse for Public Statements
The IAMCR Executive Board, with the approval of the International Council, established a Clearinghouse for Public Statements in July 2015. The Clearinghouse mission is to help with making public statements by taking proactive positions on issues or by responding to issues when they arise.
See the text What the Clearinghouse for Public Statements Does and the Clearinghouse's Working Procedures.
Any current member in good standing of IAMCR may request the Clearinghouse to consider whether a public statement should be made by endorsing a statement of others or by distributing a statement of its own.
Requests should be sent to clearinghouse [at] iamcr.org. Please read the text What the Clearinghouse for Public Statements Does and the Clearinghouse's Working Procedures before making a request. Questions and clarifications about what the Clearinghouse does should be sent to clearinghouse [at] iamcr.org.
The Clearinghouse is chaired by Robin Mansell, London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) and its members are Eno Akpabio, University of Namibia (Namibia), Abida Ashraf, University of the Punjab (Pakistan), Martin Becerra, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and Universidade de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Nancy Booker, Aga Khan University (Kenya), Andrew Calabrese, University of Colorado (US), Lauren Dyll, University of KwaZulu Natal (South Africa), Flor Enghel, Jönköping University (Sweden/Argentina), Divina Frau-Meigs, Université Sorbonne, Nouvelle (France), Audrey Gadzekpo, University of Ghana (Ghana), Cherian George, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong), Rodrigo Gomez, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana–Cuajimalpa (Mexico), Gholam Khiabany, Goldsmiths, University of London (UK), Graham Murdock, Loughborough University (UK)/University of Auckland (NZ), Hillel Nossek, Kinneret Academic College on the Sea of Galilee (Israel), Vinod Pavarala, University of Hyderabad (India), Sandra Ristovska, University of Colorado Boulder (US), Takesato Watanabe, Doshisha University (Japan) and Nico Carpentier (Czech Republic) as EB liaison.
IAMCR stands in solidarity with workers at Brazil’s national public service broadcaster, the Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), in its fight to safeguard the Brazilian people’s right to public broadcasting.
Based in Quito, Ecuador, CIESPAL, the International Center for Higher Communication Studies for Latin America, has played an important role in journalism education in Ecuador and Latin America and a leading role in communication debates in the region and globally.
IAMCR calls on the Nigerian government to drop proposed restrictive legislation regulating the media and to lift its suspension of Twitter.
IAMCR endorses the recently-launched Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto, a collective work of communication scholars and practitioners that calls for the safeguarding of the existence, funding, and independence of Public Service Media and the creation of a Public Service Internet.
IAMCR emphatically rejects threats that unknown persons have made publicly in Barranquilla, Colombia to various individuals and their families committed to building peace and coexistence, and working with people and communities to reach social agreements and promote the development of their city and region.
IAMCR strongly opposes the Australian Federal Government’s decision to increase university fees for communications and media studies degrees, and for humanities, arts, and social science students more generally, while cutting the cost of degrees in science, technology engineering and math-related subjects.
IAMCR's Clearinghouse on Public Statements and its Executive Board issued two statements related to the anti-racism protests currently taking place in the United States and elsewhere.
IAMCR has been informed that a radio station supported by AMARC Europe, the umbrella organisation for community radio in Europe and a leading NGO in the field of community expression, has been subjected to a violent attack from far-right militants.
IAMCR stands in solidarity with journalists and news outlets working to provide coverage of the current crisis in Chile in a way that allows the reasons for the protests to be understood, gives voice to peaceful protesters, and documents abuses by the military and police anti-riot squads.
IAMCR urges its members and the media and communication research and education community to lobby the UK government against proposals that threaten creative and critical scholarship in research in media and communication and to join calls for action in other countries when similar policy moves threaten education in our field.
IAMCR expresses concern about Julian Assange's possible extradition to the United States, a precedent that threatens the welfare of whistle-blowers and discourages the sustained watchdog role of the media.
IAMCR está "profundamente preocupada por los movimientos para comprometer la independencia del proceso de becas de investigación de Australia"
IAMCR is deeply concerned by moves to compromise the independence of Australia's research grant process and embed political interference.
IAMCR calls on Hungarian authorities to withdraw a decree denying accreditation for Gender Studies programmes. IAMCR says the measure will "suppress valuable training" and "have a chilling effect on freedom of inquiry and freedom of expression".
IAMCR stands in solidarity with university professors, students and media professionals in Venezuela whose freedom of inquiry and expression is being systematically undermined by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
IAMCR offers its support to faculty members of the University of Colorado Boulder’s College of Media, Communication and Information protesting against the staff cut strategy of the hedge-fund investment company that owns the one remaining daily newspaper in Denver, Colorado, The Denver Post.