Section Head Election 2016 - Candidate statements

Journalism Research & Education (JRE) Section

The Journalism Research & Education (JRE) Section of the IAMCR will hold elections during its business meeting in Leicester, UK.

Current officers (Chair: Ibrahim Saleh) & Vice Chairs: (Claudia Lago & Kerry Green) are stepping down.

Candidates for the positions of chair and co-chair are requested to send their names, institutional affiliations, positions and a statement of no more than 500 words to the current chair Ibrahim Saleh <jre09is[at]gmail.com> with a copy to IAMCR General Secretary Maria Michalis <M.Michalis[at]westminster.ac.uk> and to the IAMCR secretariat <membership[at]iamc.org>. 

The deadline for submitting candidacies is July 13th.

The election will be held during the JRE Business meeting on Session 35: Sunday 31st July 2016, Time: 11:00-12:30, Venue: LT3 KEB

Candidates and statements

For Chair:

For Vice-chair:

Statements

Surbhi Dahiya, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, India

JRE Section is growing from strength to strength. Thanks to Dr. Ibrahim Saleh and all group members. Together we need to continue accomplishing what we have already started. As Dr. Saleh’s term as the Chairperson is coming to a close, I wish to step into that position with a strong motivation, commitment and drive to serve the JRE section and its members.

I take this opportunity to introduce myself.My name is Dr. Surbhi Dahiya and I work for Indian Institute of Mass Communication, (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), Govt. of India. I need your support and validation to contest as Chair of the JRE section. With 16 years of experience, I am a person you can depend on ,a person who will voice the concerns and represent each and everyone of you and a person who will put in 100 percent in serving the JRE section.

I started my career as a correspondent with The Tribune and later shifted to academics in 2003. At present I am Dean, Students Welfare, Executive Council member, IIMC and an Associate Professor in the Department of Journalism.

As an honest, hardworking individual I feel  that I am thoroughly capable of handling the responsibility for the position that I am running for.I believe that there is still more to accomplish and willing to put all my efforts into this position to strengthen it further.  If chosen for the job of chair JRE, I have multiple ideas that I think will make the section even more successful. Given the competition from other sections, I am ready to accept the challenge of building on JRE's considerable achievements as the strongest sections of IAMCR and I am really excited and enthusiastic about it. 

Claudia Lago, University of São Paulo, Brazil

I would like to express my interest in running for Chair of the JRE.  I have served as Vice Chair of the Section since 2010 and was re-elected unanimously by the members in 2014 for a four-year term.

As vice chair I am quite familiarized with the processes of the Section, and have worked together the Chair and the other Vice-Chair to conduct the work at the JRE annual sessions during the IAMCR annual conferences.

In addition to the familiarity and constant activity in the JRE sessions, I have extensive experience in administration of similar events, due to the fact that I am currently the president of the Brazilian Journalism Researchers Association (SBPJor), elected in 2013 and reelected in 2015, an organization that brings together about 550 researchers from Brazil and abroad and one of the most important scientific institutions of Communication in the country. As President, and previously as Administrative Director, a post that I occupied from 2005 to 2009, not only am I ultimately responsible for implementing the entity's political agenda, but also directly involved with the organization and structure of our annual congress, an event that gathers more than 500 researchers in each edition, with the presentation of more than 200 papers, in addition to lectures, seminars and conferences.

The experience with SBPJor allowed me to deal with researchers from different cultures and parts of the world, and I am very open to diverse points of view of different cultures, a characteristic that I consider fundamental to manage a Section that has inclusiveness as one of its most cherished values.

Due my work at SBPJor, the Brazilian association celebrated a partnership with JRE to produce JRE Online, an online journal that will be launched in July 2016, with the objective of becoming a virtual space to connect journalism researchers globally, having JRE as its pivot point.

I graduated in Journalism from Casper Libero School of Communication, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1989, and received a Master’s degree in Anthropology from University of Santa Catarina in 1995, and a PhD in Communication Sciences in 2003 from the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP). I have worked for many years in various journalistic positions, opting for an academic career after obtaining my doctorate’s degree. In 2014 I became an associate professor at Escola de Comunicações e Artes of the University of São Paulo, one of the most prestigious universities in Brazil and Latin America.

Oliver Hahn, University of Passau, Germany

Dr Oliver Hahn is running for a vice-chair position in IAMCR’s Journalism Research and Education section. Since 2011, he is professor of journalism at the University of Passau, Germany. From 2006 until 2011, he served as professor of journalism and vice-dean of the Department of Media and Communication at BiTS University of Applied Sciences in Iserlohn. Before, he was affiliated as research fellow and postdoc with the Centre for Advanced Study in International Journalism (Erich Brost Institute for Journalism in Europe) and the Institute for Journalism at Dortmund University of Technology (2003-2006) as well as visiting professor with the Institute for Communication at Dresden University of Technology (2003-2004).

In addition to his academic career, he had also worked as a journalist with international media in France and Germany for many years, amongst others, with EuroNews TV, F.A.Z. Business Radio as well as with news agencies such as AP and AFP.

Today, Hahn acts as a visiting professor at several universities and journalism schools in various countries (e.g. Algeria, Egypt, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Myanmar, Tunisia and USA). Furthermore, he provides scientific consultancy to European authorities of foreign cultural affairs, to the German Federal Foreign Office in Berlin and to the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) in Stuttgart in charge of media dialogues with the Arab world, the Near and Middle East.

Hahn is specialized in international comparative and collaborative research on journalism cultures and media systems. His main areas of research and teaching include: EU journalism, EU PR and European public sphere(s); media in Central and Eastern Europe, in the Arab world and in South East Asia; international news reporting and foreign correspondents; conflict, crisis and war reporting; public and media diplomacy; media in transition; media development assistance; development journalism; multilingual media; science communication (media and climate change research); data journalism as well as international protest communication of civil movements through mobile, social and traditional media.

Hahn is a member of IAMCR, ICA, ECREA, the German Communication Association (DGPuK) and the German Federation of Journalists (DJV) as well as of editorial boards of many international scientific journals. He participates in several international research networks and third-party funded projects with related scientific publication activities. He has published several peer-reviewed journal articles and books related to his research interests.

Against the backdrop of his academic and journalistic experiences, Hahn suggests as main proposals to the next period of JRE section (a) to support the Chair of this largest section within IAMCR in conceptualizing, organizing, and managing academic events as well as in assuring scientific quality; (b) to stimulate international comparative and collaborative research between the so-called Global North and Global South; (c) to make the section even more visible inside and outside IAMCR in academic and also popular debates about core questions that are timely and socially relevant in the field of journalism and its changes; and (d) to actively integrate young emerging scholars.

Sadia Jamil, University of Queensland, Australia

The International Association for Media and Communication Research -IAMCR- is the most excellent worldwide professional organisation in the discipline of media and communication research. The organisation promotes diversity through promoting emerging scholars from all over the world with an objective to develop media and communication research. 

This year, the organisation will have elections for Chair and Vice-Chair (of Sections/Working Groups) during its annual conference at the University of Leicester (26th July-31st July). I would like to inform that I am running for Vice-Chair of Journalism Research and Education Section. 

Journalism Research and Education Section (JRE) is IAMCR’s home for engagement with journalism, especially with a global perspective. The Section is growing vigorously with the efforts of Ibrahim Saleh (the Section’s Chair), Kerry Green and Claudia Lago (Section’s Vice-Chairs). As Kerry and Claudia will complete their terms as Vice-Chairs of the Section, I wish to step into the role of Vice-Chair with strong passion and commitment to serve the JRE Section. 

I take this opportunity to introduce myself. 

My name is Dr Sadia Jamil. I have recently completed PhD in Journalism Studies at the School of Communication and Arts, the University of Queensland, Australia. Holding a PhD degree in Journalism is certainly a dream particularly for a student with medical background. The University of Queensland has turned my dream into a reality. The UQ’s School of Communication and Arts is a place where I have learned to think analytically, to work hard with deadlines, to interact with culturally diverse research community, to use language as effectively as possible, and above all, to make excellence my attitude not just a skill.  

Before commencing PhD studies at the University of Queensland, I completed Masters in Media Management and Mass Communication from the University of Stirling (Scotland) and the University of Karachi respectively.

To date, I have been awarded two journalism industry’s awards, two research awards and a conference award including: Union Insurance’s Cairo Air Crash Journalists Victim Memorial Gold Medal (Pakistan), Jang newspaper’s Sardar Ali Sabri Memorial Gold Medal (Pakistan), the University of Queensland’s Centennial Award (Australia), International Postgraduate Research Award (Australia) and the Norwegian UNESCO Commission’s grant (Norway). 

Among the nominated contestants, If elected, I would focus to enhance the Section’s research spectrum through collaboration with international universities, regional media representatives and associations, national-level’s governmental bodies, NGO’s and multilateral organisations such as UNESCO.  I would strive to build a network of diverse research community that can contribute towards the quality journalism research, and enhance knowledge about a wide range of thematic areas within the Section.  I need your support to encourage me as a young and female journalism researcher to contribute my abovementioned role in IAMCR, and to make my ambition a reality.    

This year I am presenting the findings of my research on journalists’ safety in Pakistan at the IAMCR conference and shall Chair one of the Section’s session. 

The section elections will take place on 31st July 2016 at LT3 KEB (the University of Leicester) at 11 a.m. Kindly come and support me for this endeavour.

Looking for to see you at the IAMCR conference 2016!

Abiodun Salawu, North-West University, South Africa

I am running for the position of Co-Chair of the Journalism Research and Education section. I am a Professor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies at the North-West University, South Africa. If elected, I hope to build on the good work already started by the outgoing administration of the section. I shall work to ensure that the section remains the leading section in IAMCR. I shall also strive to mobilise more of our colleagues in the developing world to become members of the section so that its diversity and inclusivity can be better enhanced. I shall also come up with innovative ideas that will make the section more vibrant and engaging.

Trust me with your votes and I assure you, your votes will count.

Abiodun Salawu, PhD is Professor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies in the Department of Communication, North-West University, South Africa. He is Director of the university’s research entity: Indigenous Language Media in Africa. He held briefly the Mazisi Kunene Chair in the School of Arts, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Prior to this, he was of the Department of Communication, University of Fort Hare, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Communication of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Prior to his coming to South Africa, he had taught journalism and media studies in various institutions in Nigeria, including The Polytechnic, Ibadan; University of Lagos and Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo. His major areas of research interest include indigenous language media, development communication, critical studies and new media. He has to his credit numerous journal articles and book chapters. He is the editor of the seminal book, Indigenous Language Media in Africa (CBAAC, 2006) and co-editor of Indigenous Language Media, Language Politics and Democracy in Africa (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). With an impressive publication profile, Prof. Salawu is rated as an Established Researcher by the National Research Foundation (of South Africa).