[Air-L] Workshop CFP: Communication Policy in the Time of Pandemics: Harnessing the Power of ICTs for Health, May 29, 2023

[Taylor, Richard Denny]

Colleagues, This CFP may be of interest, especially to those with interests in ICTs and Health.  Thank you.

Richard Taylor, PSU IIP


WORKSHOP – CALL FOR PAPERS

COMMUNICATION POLICY IN THE TIME OF PANDEMICS: HARNESSING THE POWER OF ICT’S FOR HEALTH



The global pandemic in the last three years has emphasized as never before the beneficial role that the media and information networks can play in disseminating essential health information, coordinating social responses, and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable sections of society including the elderly and persons with disabilities. But at the same time, it has also raised alarm about the potential of rumor mongers, profiteers, and purveyors of misinformation to exploit vulnerabilities in social media networks to wreak havoc with health initiatives. Both these aspects of information and communication networks, positive and negative, have foregrounded the importance of framing well-conceived and -implemented laws, policies, and programs to enable media and communications role to play their rightful role in the next, inevitable, health crisis.



What policy responses can be put in place to ensure the pro-active disclosure of information, and simultaneously what safeguards should be implemented to protect the privacy and security of health information; what rules, if any, can we implement against the spread of misleading information on social media and procedures for weeding out harmful and malicious posts? How can we promote the resilience, security, and responsiveness of health information networks, indeed all communication networks? What tools of public policy may be utilized – for example, public communication campaigns, funding, legislation, and regulatory rulemaking, or simply the bully pulpit, to implement these initiatives?



We invite papers that examine media and information policy in heath crises, as well as in ongoing public health issues. Policy is defined broadly, including government policies, regulations and laws and the policies of corporations. We particularly encourage international comparisons, including contrasting approaches to social media policy adopted by national governments. Interested scholars are invited to submit a complete paper or a 500-word abstract.



The Institute for Information Policy (IIP) at Penn State University proposes to conduct this workshop in collaboration with the Global Communication Governance Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and the York University/TMU Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture. The IIP has conducted twenty-one workshops since 2011 on various aspects of information and telecommunications policy, including several in partnership with leading universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, Fordham, and George Washington University, and four as ICA pre-conferences in San Diego (2017), Prague (2018), Washington DC (2019) and the Gold Coast (2020) (virtual). Papers presented in the Workshop will be considered for publication in the IIP’s Journal of Information Policy, an open access, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, published by Penn State University Press and archived in the Duke University Repository.



Workshop: Communication Policy in the Time of Pandemics

Date: Monday, May 29, 2023, Morning and Afternoon sessions.

Place: Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University)

Rogers Communication Centre

80 Gould Street

Toronto, Ontario

M5B 2M7

Submissions: Papers or Abstracts are due by January 16, 2023.  Authors of selected Papers and Abstracts will be notified by January 30, 2023.  Full papers based on invited Abstracts are due Monday, May 14.  Proposals and papers should be sent by e-mail to the Workshop Organizers at pennstateIIP at psu.edu<mailto:pennstateIIP at psu.edu>.  Inquiries should also be directed to that address.

Workshop Organizers: Institute for Information Policy, Penn State and the Global Communication Governance Lab at TMU and the York University/TMU Joint Graduate Program in Communication and Culture.

Registration Fee: There will be a $50.00 registration fee for participants to cover the cost of food and refreshments during the Workshop.