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--></style><title>Amsterdam Workshop Call - Deadline
Extended</title></head><body>
<div><b>**Call for Participants - Extended Deadline**</b></div>
<div><b><br></b></div>
<div><b><br></b></div>
<div><b>The News about Networks</b></div>
<div><b><br>
Workshop by the Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam</b><br>
</div>
<div>Supported by the Ford Foundation's portfolio in media policy and
technology, part of the Media, Arts and Culture Unit, New York. A
co-production with de Balie Center for Politics and Culture,
Amsterdam.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font
color="#000000"
>Dates: <span
></span
> <span
></span> <x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>10-14 November 2003</font></div>
<div><font
color="#000000"
>Location: <span
></span
> <x-tab
> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>de
Balie, Amsterdam</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Deadline for
applications: <x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>14
September 2003</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Send application
to: <x-tab
> </x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>participant@issuenetwork.org</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Workshop
website:<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>http://www.issuenetwork.org</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Who should
apply: <span
></span> <x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab>Advocates & Academics</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Participant acceptance notice:<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab> </x-tab>19
September 2003<x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Application details below.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Introduction.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
The Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam is organizing a workshop for
researchers, advocates, and grassroots organizers in the field of
media democracy, communications rights, and media policy. The
Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam, is dedicated to creating and hosting
political tools for the Web.<br>
<br>
Over a five-day period, the workshop will provide an immersion
experience in Govcom.org's work in a media laboratory, where all
participants will be invited to use state of the art information tools
created by govcom.org and its collaborators. The participants also are
invited to present and share their own tools and
knowledge.</font><font color="#0000FF"> </font><font
color="#000000"> Much of the workshop will revolve around using the
Issue Crawler, server-side software, developed with OneWorld
International (London), Aguidel.com (Paris) and Recognos (Cluj-Napoca)
that locates, analyses and visualises networks on the Web. Some of the
questions one may ask are:</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
--What are my networks? What is my relative standing within these
networks?<br>
--Which types of organizations and agendas dominate these
networks?<br>
--Do the organizations in these networks recognise each other's work?
Do they (instead) rely on news coverage as a sign of recognition?<br>
--Which parts of the networks hold together if one takes out funders?
Do they hold together if one takes out other agenda-setters, be it
(big) media or intergovernmental organizations?<br>
--How relevant is media coverage to the overall effectiveness of my
organization? Do NGOs take up issues depending on the press coverage
of the same issues?<br>
<br>
To answer these questions, we will undertake network location
exercises, and enquire into the extent to which the networks we find
are dominated by the agendas of (big) media, funders,
intergovernmental organizations and/or NGOs.<br>
<br>
<br>
Workshop Substance.<br>
<br>
One of the greater paradoxes, even tragedies, of NGOs these days is a
continued reliance on measuring the value of their activities by press
appearance. Despite the rise of independent and internet forms of
'news', many NGOs still rely on (commercial) press coverage as
demonstrable evidence of organizational or individual worth. At the
same time, reliance on the press, and a media strategy, may raise
questions about integrity and authenticity. The workshop takes up some
of the larger dilemmas inhering in activist and NGO activity today:
the extent to which NGO work is driven by the coverage of its work.
Similarly, and related to the question of coverage is another
potential impact of the news on NGOs. Do NGOs take up issues depending
on the press coverage of the same issues?<br>
<br>
In asking the extent to which NGOs are beholden to the press, both in
terms of self-representation and in terms of issue selection, we also
would like to know whether it matters. That is, is coverage of itself
or of its issues related to an NGO's standing in its network? The
networks may have other means of distributing standing, and other ways
of choosing issues. Indeed, we may find that NGO standing and issue
selection has little to do with the leanings of the press.<br>
<br>
The Network News workshop is dedicated to understanding relationships
between network work, issue work, and news work. To this end, we will
grapple with some methods and techniques in tracking the resonance of
issues in the news, of network issues in the news, as well as the
resonance of news within issue networks. The lead question for the
workshop reads:</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
Is NGO standing - in its networks - significantly related to its
appearance in the news?<br>
<br>
To answer this question, a number of exercises are to be
undertaken.<br>
<br>
1. Network location. In which network or networks does the NGO
appear?<br>
2. News-in-the-network. Is news (and, more importantly,
newsworthiness) a significant feature within the network?<br>
3. Standing and coverage. Is an NGO's relative standing in the network
related to its practice and display of newsworthiness? Are NGOs driven
towards seeking coverage by the network?<br>
4. News strategies. Is newsworthiness an organizational feature to be
recommended to actors in the network? Or is it futile?<br>
<br>
The workshop will also feature the introduction of an automated news
monitoring system, using RSS (rich site summary) technology. Press
trackers, under development by anderemedia.nl and govcom.org at
issuenews.org, capture streams from leading news organizations. At the
workshop we would like to analyse these streams for NGO and NGO issue
mentionings (or anything else one may wish to track). In doing so, we
will be able to perform a second check about the extent to which
organizational and issue standing within the networks we find may be
related to press coverage.<br>
<br>
Format of the workshop.<br>
<br>
The format of the workshop intersperses the following:<br>
<br>
1) Introduction and Software Training<br>
2) Talks and Demonstrations by the Participants and Cartographers<br>
3) Software Use and Feedback on Findings<br>
4) Designer Map-making<br>
5) Individual Analysis and Presentations of Results<br>
6) Discussions of texts from the Reader</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">7) Public Presentations</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
A presentation - The News about Networks - will be made upon
conclusion of the workshop, on Friday evening, the 14th of November.
The presentation is held at de Balie and is open to the public.<br>
<br>
A public debate will take place on Wednesday evening, the 12th of
November. Though as of yet unconfirmed, the public debate is expected
to feature a presentation on one of the more advanced forms of
information politics, 'Pre-mediation'. Applying the notion to the Iraq
War, we are interested in understanding the extent to which the
premediation of the Iraq War - summed up in the concept of PreWar -
produced a sense of war's inevitability.<br>
<br>
The media laboratory has facility for laptops with cabled ethernet
connectivity. Wireless network to be confirmed.<br>
<br>
<br>
Application Details</font><br>
</div>
<div><font color="#000000">Please apply. To apply, please send a
biographical sketch, a one-page description of the questions and
themes you would like to see addressed at the workshop as well as the
answers to the questionnaire below. Please send these 3 items to
participant@issuenetwork.org by 14 September. Space is
limited.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000">The answers to the questionnaire allow for
the advance mapping of the issue areas, as well as advance issue news
monitoring. The criteria of acceptance to the workshop is the mutual
fit between the applicant's analytical desires and expectations, and
the capacities of the analysts on hand.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>The workshop is free of charge. Participants should cover travel
and accommodation expenses. We can help you find accommodation. For
accommodation and other queries, write to Catherine Somze, Govcom.org
Workshop Producer, catherine@issuenetwork.org.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000">The Ford Foundation has made available five
Workshop Fellowships for US-based participants. Application
information is available at
http://www.issuenetwork.org/node.php?id=25.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Questionnaire</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">All workshop participants are asked to
submit answers to the following questions.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
1. Name your issue/research area(s), e.g., Climate Change, Media
Justice, Indigenous Rights, Ancient Forests, Spectrum Policy,
low-power FM.<br>
<br>
2. Name the most significant organizations per issue area(s), along
with their Web addresses (URLs). Please separate URLs with a comma,
and use 'deep pages' wherever possible, i.e.,
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign%5<span
></span>fid=3938 (the Greenpeace Ancient Forests page), instead of
www.greenpeace.org<br>
<br>
3. List the most significant sub-issues, terms, slogans, individual
names per issue.<br>
<br>
4. List the 3-5 most important conferences in each issue area, for the
past year, the current year and next year, along with the web
addresses (URLs).</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
5. List the 3-5 most significant web-accessible documents in the issue
area(s). Provide the exact web addresses for each document.<br>
<br>
6. List (no more than 10) the organizations in that issue area(s) that
you have had the most direct email contact with in the past 6-12
months.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
7. List the most significant news sources for your work and the web
locations for these sources.</font><br>
</div>
<div><font color="#000000">*Please return the answers to the
questionnaire to participant@issuenetwork.org. We kindly request that
you return the answers in English as well as your own
language. </font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<br>
Questionnaire en Franais</font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Tous les participants à l'atelier sont
priés de répondre aux questions suivantes.<br>
<br>
1. Désignez votre(vos) question(s)/domaine(s) de recherche, par
exemple, Changement Climatique, Justice Médiatique, Droits
Indigènes, Forêts Primaires, Politique du Spectrum, radio FM de
basse fréquence.<br>
<br>
2. Désignez les principaux acteurs/organisations dans le cadre de
(chacun de) votre(vos) domaine(s) de recherche, plus leur page Web
(URLs). S.V.P. séparez chacune des URLs par une virgule et faites
usage de 'deep pages' à chaque fois que cela est possible, par
exemple,<br>
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign%5<span
></span>fid=3938<br>
(la page de Greenpeace Ancient Forests), au lieu de
www.greenpeace.org<br>
<br>
3. Établissez pour chaque question(s) une liste des questions
subsidiaires les plus importantes, ainsi que des termes, slogans et
personnes.<br>
<br>
4. Établissez pour chaque domaine recherché une liste des 3 à 5
conférences les plus importantes de l'année en cours,
l'année précédente et l'année à venir, plus leur adresse
électronique (URLs).<br>
<br>
5. Établissez une liste des 3 à 5 documents les plus importants
dans votre(vos) domaine(s) de recherche, accessibles sur Internet.
Ayez l'obligeance de fournir une adresse électronique exacte pour
chacun des documents.<br>
<br>
6. Établissez une liste d'au plus 10 organisations dans le(s)
domaine(s) recherché(s) avec lesquelles vous avez eu les contacts
e-mail les plus directs durant les 6 à 12 mois passés.<br>
<br>
7. Établissez une liste des sources d'informations les plus
importantes dans le cadre de votre travail et de la localisation Web
de ces sources.<br>
<br>
*Ayez l'amabilité de faire parvenir les réponses au
questionnaire à participant@issuenetwork.org. À votre convenance
et/ou en accord avec le contenu de certaines réponses, celles-ci
peuvent être adressées soit en Anglais, soit dans votre propre
langue.<br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Cuestionario en Español</font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">A todos los participantes del taller se les
pedirá que contesten a las preguntas siguientes:<br>
<br>
1. Nombre o defina su(s) pregunta(s) o campo(s) de investigación,
por ejemplo, Cambios Climáticos, Justicia en los Medios de
Comunicación, Derechos Indígenas, Bosques Primarios, Política
Espectral, radio FM de baja potencia.<br>
<br>
2. Nombre las organizaciones más significantes en (cada uno de)
su(s) campo(s) de investigación, junto con su dirección Web
(URLs.). Por favor, separe las URLs con coma y use, cada vez que le
sea posible enlaces directos, como por ejemplo:<br>
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign%5<span
></span>fid=3938<br>
(the Greenpeace Ancient Forests page), en lugar de
www.greenpeace.org<br>
<br>
3. Componga una lista de las preguntas subsiguientes mas
significantes, así como de términos, lemas y nombres de personas
relacionados con su(s) pregunta(s) inicial(es).<br>
<br>
4. Liste de 3 a 5 conferencias más importantes (en cada uno) de
su(s) campo(s) de investigación para este año, el precedente y el
próximo, junto con, para cada una de ellas, su dirección Web
(URLs).<br>
<br>
5. Liste de 3 a 5 documentos más significantes en (cada uno de)
su(s) campo(s) de investigación y accesibles a través de la Web.
Provea una dirección Web exacta para cada uno de estos
documentos.<br>
<br>
6. Componga una lista de no más de 10 organizaciones en el campo de
investigación con las cuales haya tenido los contactos
electrónicos, via email, más directos en los últimos 6 a 12
meses.<br>
<br>
7. Liste las fuentes de información más significantes para su
trabajo y la locación electrónica de cada una de ellas.<br>
<br>
*Por favor, mande las repuestas al cuestionario a
participant@issuenetwork.org. Le pedimos que mande las respuestas en
Inglés o, si es preciso, en su propio idioma.</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Fragebogen auf Deutsch</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Alle TeilnehmerInnen des Workshops werden
gebeten folgende Fragen zu beantworten.<br>
<br>
Der nachstehende Fragebogen:<br>
<br>
1. Nennen Sie ihr(e) Themen- und Forschungsgebiete(e), wie zum
Beispiel, Klimawandel, Pressefreiheit, Regenwald, Spektrumpolitik.<br>
<br>
2. Nennen Sie die bedeutensten Organisationen für jeden
Themenbereich gemeinsam mit deren Internet Adressen (URLs). Bitte
trennen sie die URLs mit Strichpunkt, und geben Sie wenn möglich
Unterseiten (deep pages) an, wie zum Beispiel,
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/campaigns/intro?campaign%5<span
></span>fid=3938 (die Greenpeace Urwald Seite), anstelle von
www.greenpeace.org<br>
<br>
3. Listen Sie die bedeutensten Unterkategorien, Begriffe, Slogans,
Personen pro Themenbereich auf.<br>
<br>
4. Listen Sie die 3-5 bedeutensten Konferenzen in jedem Themenfeld des
letzten Jahres, des laufenden Jahres, sowie des kommenden Jahres mit
Web Adressen (URLs) auf.<br>
<br>
5. Listen Sie die 3-5 bedeutensten im Internet abrufbaren Dokumente
pro Themenbereich auf. Geben Sie bitte die exakte Web Adresse für
jedes Dokument an.<br>
<br>
6. Listen Sie Organisationen (nicht mehr als 10) in diesen
Themenfeldern auf, mit denen Sie den häufigsten E-mail Kontakt in
den letzten 6-12 Monaten hatten. <br>
<br>
7. Listen Sie die bedeutensten Medienquellen für Ihre Arbeit und
deren Web Adressen auf.<br>
<br>
Bitte senden Sie Ihre Antworten zu den Fragen an
participant@issuenetwork.org.</font><br>
<font color="#000000"></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<br>
About Govcom.org<br>
<br>
The Govcom.org Foundation, Amsterdam, is dedicated to creating and
hosting political tools for the Web, at http://www.govcom.org. Its
director is Richard Rogers (rogers@hum.uva.nl), also of the University
of Amsterdam. The workshop is co-organised by Noortje Marres
(marres@dds.nl), University of Amsterdam. Govcom.org workshop producer
is Catherine Somze (catherine@issuenetwork.org). The designers are
Marieke van Dijk and Auke Touwslager of anderemedia.nl. Principal
affiliates and analysts are Andrei Mogoutov (Ecole des
Mines/aguidel.com), Andres Zelman (Thinkamalinks), Greg Elmer (Florida
State) and Astrid Mager (University of Vienna).<br>
<br>
The Workshop is part of the Social Life of Issues Series, number 8,
http://www.govcom.org/workshops.html. For viewing and navigating, the
maps from previous workshops may require an svg plug-in, available,
for example, at http://www.adobe.com/svg.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
Govcom.org also has developed the Web Issue Index of Civil Society. It
is a downloadable quicklaunch application and interactive screensaver
that shows the rise and fall of attention to important social issues
by select civil society actors, previewed at
http://www.infoid.org.</font></div>
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