New publication: Special Issue on Communication Rights

Research

The special issue of Journal of Information Policy coedited with Hannu Nieminen and Amit Schjeter is now out!

COMMUNICATION RIGHTS IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL DISRUPTION

Journal of Information Policy, Special Issue on Communication Rights (1/2020) presents articles originating from the international conference Communication Rights in the Digital Age, which took place in Helsinki in 2019 and was co-sponsored by CORDI.

The Issue is co-edited by the CORDI members Hannu Nieminen and Minna Horowitz and includes an article by the CORDI members Kari Karppinen and Outi Puukko: Four Discourses of Digital Rights: Promises and Problems of Rights-Based Politics.

The studies in this issue demonstrate the policies, dilemmas, and contexts within communication rights from a variety of perspectives. They highlight new dilemmas and actors of communication rights in the digital era, but also how old policy issues emerge, are framed, and can be studied. The special issue, as well as all 10 volumes of the Journal of Information Policy are freely available here.

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What’s Rights Got to Do With It? Your Reflections

Teaching
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Thank you Adam, Alexander, Alexandra, Anton, Elmeri, Ester, Evelina, Katja, Laura, Milena, Ulrika, Vera and Vivi. Please find below some thoughts that your responses to the lecture elicited:

PS: Screening the video I realized I made a snafu. I mentioned the Finnish constitution as recognizing diverse media. While the Finnish constitution recognizes diverse forms of communication rights beyond the freedom of speech it is the EU Charter of fundamental rights that is more explicit about the media. Sorry about that. I had just been writing a related commentary on that and “wires got crossed” in my informal response to you.

What’s Right’s Got to Do With It? Gender, Feminisms, and the Media

Teaching
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Welcome to the 3-part video lecture on Gender, feminisms, the media and policies! (Pro tip: I speak quite slowly. Try 1.5 x speed if you want a more speedy lecture!)

Part O, the Introduction, is here:

The below video, Part 1, is intended to create a context for gender and the media today:

Part 2 of the video lecture is focused on the role of policy in supporting fairer gender portrayal – mission (im)possible?

A couple of extra resources that might interest you:

The above mentioned study on women journalists and harassment in the US and Canada. A similar study in the Global South. Two videos on gender and communication rights, with a global framework.

Questions for you (answer one or all):

  1. Do you think a rights-based approach could be a policy solution to gender injustices regarding the media? If so, why; if not, why not?
  2. What issues would you prioritize?
  3. Who could or should monitor gender-based inequalities in participation and portrayal? Nationally/internationally?

To ensure your privacy, please email your answers to Dr. Siivonen who will then email them to me – and I will send you a synthesis response.

Communication Rights: Elusive but Essential

Teaching
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Welcome to the lecture

Here are your additional materials

  1. McIver, William J., Birdsall, William F., & Rasmussen, Merrilee (2003). “The internet and right to communicate”. First Monday, 8(12). (open access).
  2. Chapter 1 by Shoshana Zuboff from Jørgensen, Rikke Frank (2019, ed.). Human Rights in the Age of Platforms. Visual Communication. Understanding Images in Media Culture. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 342 s. (open access).
  3. Podcast: “Rights in Differing Contexts”.
  4. Extra material, if interested: RightsCon2020 conference “the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age”, a selection of panel discussions and talks can be viewed on YouTube.  

Assignment: Mission Impossible?

Please respond to these questions with the comment function below.

1.Is the concept of communication rights feasible at all? Why or why not?

Let’s, for a moment, assume that it is. 

2.What should be included as comm rights?

3.Would these rights be universal or relative?

4.Who should monitor and implement them?

Noteworthy

Note that you can remain anonymous. Use any screen name. You will be asked to sign in with an email. Please use the email Prof. Parthasarathi has for you so I can communicate to him about your participation. However, only I, as the admin, will see your email that will identify you. No one else.

Please also note that I need to moderate your comment. I may not be online when you are. Please allow 24 hours for your comment to appear. If you have not seen it by then, please contact Prof. Parthasarathi.