The Communication Initiative
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The Communication Initiative
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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(Un)Covering Disasters: A Conference on Disaster Journalism and Risk Communication

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Location

Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines

Dates: July 24-25 2014

"Recent disasters in the Asia-Pacific Region, such as the Tohoku tsunami, Bohol earthquake, and Typhoon Haiyan, have brought to light issues and concerns related to the mainstream and alternative media coverage of disasters and post-disaster responses."

This conference seeks to provide a venue for discussion and critical discourse of the subject of how the media covers disasters and post-disaster responses. It will bring together journalists, academics, scientists, and other stakeholders to engage in dialogue, which hopefully will lay the groundwork for the crafting of efficient and ethical frameworks for disaster reporting.

Specifically, the conference seeks to uncover the complexities of disaster reporting through a union of theoretical and practical approaches. Topics to be explored include:

  • Theoretical perspectives on risk communication and environmental journalism
  • The use of local and indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction
  • Representation of tragedy and suffering in the mainstream and new media
  • Visual representations of disaster through photographs, film, or video
  • Internal (intra- and interagency) and external (media relations) communication activities of government agencies and relief non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
  • Reporting of post-disaster responses, rescue, retrieval, and relief operations, and delivery of humanitarian aid
  • Safety protocols for journalists in disaster news coverage
  • The role of journalism in facilitating efficient and effective disaster response
  • Public participation and engagement through social media during disaster events
  • Communication and public understanding of disaster preparedness programmes and campaigns

There is a call for papers for this conference - papers that range from theoretically driven research to those that are anchored on an empiricist understanding of disaster situations as they occur on the ground. Undergraduate and graduate student papers are also welcome. Works-in-progress are also welcome, provided that data will be available for presentation on the day assigned to the presenter. The deadline is April 25 2014. Click here and scroll down to read submission guidelines.

Important dates:

  • April 25 2014: Deadline for abstracts of papers and panel proposals
  • May 16 2014: Notification of acceptance
  • June 13 2014: Last day of early bird registration [Click here and scroll down to access the various fee categories.]
  • June 20 2014: Release of final conference programme
  • July 11 2014: Last day of regular registration
  • July 24-25 2014: Conference dates