UNESCO Chair on Community Media is going to organize first of the GLOBAL DIALOGUES: COMMUNITY MEDIA IN THE POST-PANDEMIC WORLD on 16 June 2020 at 5:30 pm. The dialogue Curated & hosted by the UNESCO Chair on Community Media, University of Hyderabad, India
The panelists of the global dialogue are;
Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman- S21BR, Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication(BNNRC) & Policy Research Fellow, Shaping the Future of Media, Information & Entertainment in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution(4th IR)
Mr. N.A.Shah Ansari, president of Community Radio Association, India and Founder of Radio Namasker
Mr. Suman Basnet, Regional Director, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) Asia and Pacific
Mr. Subas Khatiwada, President Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Nepal (ACORAB)
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Kanchan Malik, Department of Communication & Faculty Fellow, UNESCO Chair on Community Media, University of Hyderabad, India
As reports started coming in from various parts of the world, interesting stories emerged about the roles being performed by community radios against great odds in tackling the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Facing unprecedented lockdowns, severe restrictions on movement, indifferent Internet connectivity, and declining human and financial resources, these community media outlets have been ably demonstrating the value of locally relevant information being shared in local languages, of being a soothing voice against the panic, and of being a credible community connect in times of crises.
Of course, community-managed, citizen-controlled media across the world have been dealing with a number of challenges even in the pre-COVIDovid days, including inadequate democratisation amidst civil strife, lack of legal recognition for the sector, constraints imposed by the regulatory environment, and financial sustainability.
We expect invited panelists who are seasoned practitioners, accomplished advocates, and network representatives of community media from South Asia, South and Latin America, Africa, Australia, the United Kingdom, and continental Europe to share their perspectives on questions such as:
What roles can community media play in crisis situations, such as the current pandemic?
What are the possibilities and constraints for community media in the post-pandemic world?
What is the continued relevance of community media in the age of digitization and digital media?
What are the experiences of movements and networks in negotiating with governments on opening up third-sector media?
Does the state of civil society across the world give rise to optimism about the future of community media?
Is there a need for reform/transformation within the community media sector to adapt itself to the post-pandemic world?
Each of the sessions will be available online through various platforms and video recorded for asynchronous access as well as for archival purposes. The Chair plans to transcribe the dialogues and publish them as a collection for open and easy access to everyone.
