[Air-L] International Conference on 'Crony Journalism: Redefining Journalistic Practices' on 18-19 January, 2014 at the Centre for Journalism & Mass Communication, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India

Mausumi Bhattacharyya mausumibht at gmail.com
Tue Nov 19 22:36:56 PST 2013


Please note that we have extended the date for abstract submission

*Important Dates: *

·       Last date for Abstract Submission: *28th November, 2013*

·       Intimation of Acceptance of Abstracts: *30th November, 2013*

·       Last date for Early Bird Registration:* 7th December, 2013*

·       Last date for Full Paper Submission: *15th December, 2013*

Dr.Mausumi Bhattacharyya
Associate Professor & In Charge
Centre for Journalism & Mass Communication
Visva-Bharati University
Santiniketan - 731235
India


On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 5:11 PM, Mausumi Bhattacharyya <mausumibht at gmail.com
> wrote:

> *International Conference on 'Crony Journalism: Redefining Journalistic
> Practices' on 18-19 January, 2014 at the Centre for Journalism & Mass
> Communication, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, India*
>
> *A Brief Word about Visva-Bharati:*
>
> A study of the evolution of Visva-Bharati during the lifetime of its
> founder, Rabindranath Tagore, offers an insight into what this institution
> was intended to achieve. Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate, founded a
> school for children at Santiniketan and it was around this nucleus that the
> structure of an unconventional university developed through careful
> planning.
>
> In May 1951, Visva-Bharati was declared to be a Central University and "An
> Institution of National Importance" by an Act of Parliament. It was granted
> the status of a unitary, teaching and residential university. The status
> and function of all the major institutions have been redefined in
> successive Amendment Acts and the University has continued to grow by
> giving accreditation to new institutions in response to needs newly felt.
>
> Visva-Bharati is ensconced in a rural setting in the district of Birbhum,
> about 160 km by road from Kolkata. The nearest railway station is Bolpur
> (Santiniketan) on the Eastern Railway and the air-terminal is Kolkata
> Airport. The University campus at Santiniketan, about 3 km from the railway
> station can be reached in a little over two hours from Kolkata by train. By
> train it is about 146 km. The University has two campuses, one at
> Santiniketan and the other at Sriniketan, which is about 3 km from
> Santiniketan. The institutional buildings and departments are distributed
> among them.
>
> *A Brief Word about Centre for Journalism and Mass Communication (CJMC):*
>
> Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's interest in media and communication is well
> known. His contribution to different literary journals and his naming
> Indian Broadcasting Service as “Akashbani” testify to this. Visva-Bharati
> started its Centre for Journalism and Mass Communication in 2000, with PG
> Diploma Course in Journalism and Mass Communication, reflecting the
> founder’s mindset. The Centre started preparing future communicators and
> fine-tuned them for connecting with people across the world. A full-fledged
> two-year MA course started in 2003-2004 with 25 students. Today, the Centre
> takes pride in offering PhD course as well. The PG degree curriculum is
> different here with thrust on all the media tools, ranging from print to
> electronic, from broadcasting to narrowcasting, from the very beginning.
> Initiation to the practicalities of communication is early, so that the
> absorption is complete. Students undertake visual, radio and newspaper
> projects in the first two semesters of study. These two semesters also have
> Communication Principles, Media Laws, History of Press, Heritage and
> Cultural Studies (with thrust on Tagore Studies) in the course. Third
> semester is devoted to Advertising, Public Relations, Development and Rural
> Communication. Every student specializes with one of the subjects among
> Magazine Journalism, Media Management and Science Journalism in the fourth
> semester. In this semester, every student completes a dissertation and
> undergoes media training too. It is one of the very few media learning
> institutions, which has its training publication (lab journal), *“Visva-Bharati
> Chronicle”*. This is a tabloid publication, which is ‘of’ the students
> and ‘by’ the students but ‘for’ the entire community. It gives the budding
> communicators a real taste of the practical field of journalism.
>
> *About The Seminar:*
>
> “We live in a system that espouses merit, equality, and a level playing
> field, but exalts those with wealth, power, and celebrity, however gained.”
>
> -Derrick Bell, Ethical Ambition
>
> The latter half of the last millennium was taken by storm by a particular
> idea of social evolution. The idea was that of meritocracy as given by
> Michael Young in his seminal work, ‘The Rise of the Meritocracy’. Young
> in his work satirizes the concept of meritocracy which he feels shall give
> way to deep discontent and ultimate rejection of the same. Fifty-five years
> later, today we find that Young’s assertions have indeed come true. While
> the idea of meritocracy is one that is apparently supported by all,
> nevertheless, it is an idea that is mostly limited to utopian discussions.
>
> While a lot is being said about the role and importance of the fourth
> estate, the media, in today’s world, the facts remain to say that the media
> today is plagued by a number of issues. However, perhaps the danger that
> haunts the media scenario the most today is the nexus between the powers
> that be and the media houses. This nexus between the outsiders and the
> insiders pertaining to the field of journalism is pejoratively ascribed to
> as crony journalism.
>
> Such has been the impact of cronyism that it not only threatens to
> radically change the traditional nature and ideals of journalism but also
> re-structure the working mechanism of the media houses which increasingly
> find themselves at the mercy of people with vested interests whose primary
> interest remains in anything but journalism. Such people consider the media
> to be either a profit-making endeavour or a power-sustaining tool. No
> wonder then, the Gandhian ideal of service being the sole aim of journalism
> has been shown the door to exploit the potential of the media to maximise
> the scope of individual goal-attainment. Such an approach has visibly
> resulted in the lack of faith among the masses pertaining to the
> functioning of the media. This certainly does not augur well for the future
> of the media as it is the media that exists for the people and not the
> other way round.
>
> Keeping the above concerns in mind, this seminar is a humble effort
> towards bringing to light the issues concerning crony journalism in today’s
> context and the possible ways of countering them. An entire session will
> also be devoted exclusively to the role of the social media in today’s
> scenario as the mainstream media finds it increasingly hard to shake off
> the effects of cronyism and the social media remains the only medium that
> may still be ascribed as an institution ‘of the people, by the people and
> for the people’.
>
> Thus, we keenly look forward to thoughtful endeavours by academicians,
> scholars and media professionals alike that are likely to contribute
> towards formulating a possible roadmap for approaching and addressing the
> concerns of crony journalism bearing in mind the causes, effects and
> solutions pertaining to the same in today’s perspective. We welcome
> submissions on the following thrust areas pertaining to the concerns of
> cronyism in today’s scenario:
>
> *1.      **Meritocracy vs. Cronyism: The Media Dilemma*
>
> *2.      **Cronyism- Redefining News Values*
>
> *3.      **Favouritism in Media Practices and Ethical Concerns *
>
> *4.      **Media: The New-Age Political Tool*
>
> *5.      **Editorial Freedom and its Challenges Today*
>
> *6.      **Social Media: Checking or Promoting Cronyism*
>
> *Call for Papers**:*
>
> Interested participants are requested to submit their abstracts by 26thNovember, 2013 at
> cronyjournalism.cjmc at gmail.com / cjmcvb at gmail.com.  The abstracts must
> not exceed 300 words and should indicate the contact address, telephone
> number, email address, and the institutional affiliation of the author(s).
> Authors are requested to mention the concerned thrust area in the subject
> line Acceptance or rejection of abstracts will be intimated to them by 15
> th November, 2013. The last date of Full Paper Submission shall be 10thDecember, 2013. The
> length of full paper should be preferably between 3000- 4000 words. The
> font size should be 12 Point (Title: 14 Point) in Calibri with 1.5 line
> spacing and Justified alignment. The writers are requested to stick to the
> APA style of citation. Selected papers will be published in a book form
> with ISBN number. The participants willing to include their papers in the
> volume should give their no objection regarding the same with the submitted
> paper.
>
> *Who can participate?*
>
> Faculty Members, Researchers, Media Professionals and Students (Scholarly
> contributions from others are also welcome)
>
> *Important Dates: *
>
> ·       Last date for Abstract Submission: *26th November, 2013*
>
> ·       Intimation of Acceptance of Abstracts: *30th November, 2013*
>
> ·       Last date for Early Bird Registration:* 7th December, 2013*
>
> ·       Last date for Full Paper Submission: *15th December, 2013*
>
> *Registration Fees*:
>
> *Early Bird Registration (On or before 7th  December, 2013):*
>
> 1.     Researchers/ Students: INR 800/- (Rs. Eight Hundred only)
> Inclusive of Conference Kit, Accommodation and Meals
>
> 2.     Teachers, Media Professionals and Others: INR.2000/- (Rs. Two
> Thousand only) Inclusive of Conference Kit, Accommodation*** and Meals
>
> *On-Spot Registration:*
>
> 1.     Researchers/ Students: INR 1000/- (Rs. One Thousand only)
> Inclusive of Conference Kit, Accommodation and Meals
>
> 2.     Teachers, Media Professionals and Others: INR 2500/- (Rs. Two
> Thousand Five Hundred only) Inclusive of Conference Kit, Accommodation***
> and Meals
>
> **** Accommodation shall not be provided to Local Participants. **Travelling
> Allowance will not be given to any participant. In case of joint
> authorship, university will bear the cost of only one author.*
>
> *Mode of Payment for Early Bird Registration:*
>
> Registration fees may be submitted through DD/ Multicity Cheque/ NEFT
> (Preferably NEFT) in favour of *'VISVA BHARATI CHRONICLE, VISVA BHARATI
> UNIVERSITY'* Account Number - 10598449960, State Bank of India, Shantiniketan
> Branch, Branch Code: 2121. Upon submission of the fees, the registration
> form attached herewith may kindly be filled up and sent to us at
> cronyjournalism.cjmc at gmail.com to facilitate the registration.
>
> *For any further query, please contact:*
>
> Dr. Mausumi Bhattacharyya, Conference Director & In-Charge, CJMC,
> Visva-Bharati, E-mail: mausumibht at gmail.com
>
> Or Email us at:
>
> cronyjournalism.cjmc at gmail.com
> Dr.Mausumi Bhattacharyya
> Associate Professor & In Charge
> Centre for Journalism & Mass Communication
> Visva-Bharati University
> Santiniketan - 731235
> India
>



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