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A panel organised by the Arab Media Centre, Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) and BBC Media Action.

Drinks 6–6.30 pm
Panel: 6.30–7.30pm

Over the past 25 years, there has been a gradual opening up of the media in the Arab world, first through the advent of satellite broadcasting, and subsequently through the explosion of new media. This pluralism has undoubtedly had a liberalising effect on the political landscape of the region. But its media have also been co-opted increasingly into the service of narrow political interests and the wide choice offered by the Internet has in fact become more narrowly political.

Amid this increasingly polarised political space, BBC Media Action’s new policy briefing – ‘After the Arab uprisings: the prospects for a media that serves the public’ – argues that one regional institution in particular – the national broadcaster – could paradoxically help bridge some of these social divides, provided that it can be reformed to serve public, rather than state, interests.

BBC Media Action’s report findings will be presented by Alexandra Buccianti, Project Manager – Middle East and North Africa at BBC Media Action, followed by responses from Dr Tarik Sabry, Director of the Arab Media Centre, and Dr Fatima El-Issawi, Middle East Centre / LSE and senior lecturer (University of Essex). Professor Jean Seaton, Director of the Orwell Prize and author of Pinkoes and Traitors: BBC and the Nation 1974-1987, will chair the panel. The event will open with drinks at 6pm.

We hope that the evening will provide a lively format for exploring the politics of the media in the Arab Region at a moment of pivotal change.

Download a copy of the paper here. 

Register for this free event online.

The expansion of the digital economy has raised contentious issues for regulators and policy-makers. From the taxation of digital companies to the new business models associated with platform capitalism, to artificial intelligence, automation and the accountability of algorithms, regulators and policy-makers now have to contend with a rapidly changing economic environment. This panel discussion will reflect on current developments in the digital economy and their implications for policy. The event will bring together academics, policy-makers, civil society and industry. It will draw on the expertise of the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) in the political economy of digital media and particularly on the work of Dr Mercedes Bunz on algorithms and automation, and of Dr Pieter Verdegem on Internet cooperatives. Guest speakers include Paul Morton, Tax Director at the Office of Tax Simplification, who will speak about the differences between digital and traditional economy, the international tax system and related challenges, Jim Killock, Executive Director, the Open Rights Group, and Will Hayter, Project Director at the Competition and Markets Authority, who will address the regulation and effectiveness of digital comparison tools.

Guest speakers:

Jim Killock, Executive Director, the Open Rights Group

Will Hayter, Project Director, the Competition and Markets Authority

Paul Morton, Tax Director, the Office of Tax Simplification

CAMRI speakers:

Dr Mercedes Bunz, Senior Lecturer

Dr Pieter Verdegem, Senior Lecturer

Venue: Room C1.52 (Small Lecture Theatre), University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street.

Date and Time:
29th of June, Thursday.
15:00 – 16:30 panel debate and discussion with the audience
16:30 – 18:00 networking drinks reception.

Please Register via Eventbrite

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is seeking to take over the remaining 61% of Sky which he does not already own. The bid is currently being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority, and has triggered wide-ranging opposition from civil society groups, politicians and academics. Particular concern has focused on Murdoch’s track record, the record of Fox News, and the implications for Sky News in the UK.

At this critical time, a Fox employee and his lawyer will discuss how Fox News treats its staff, and a former Fox insider will discuss the network’s techniques for manipulating its news coverage to support Trump and his policies. A leading campaigner will set out the successes of the campaign in the UK so far and the dangers of “foxifying” British news and implications for our democracy.

Speakers:

Kelly Wright, the only black male anchor at Fox News who is suing Fox for fostering a culture of “severe racial harassment”

Joe Lindsley, former protégé of Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, who has just authored a new book, ‘Fake News, True Story”

Douglas Wigdor, the lawyer representing dozens of victims of alleged racial and sexual harassment at Fox.

Alaphia Zoyab, former TV anchor, senior campaigner working on Avaaz’s campaign to stop the Murdoch takeover of Sky.

Jessica Golloher, former Fox radio host covering the Middle East and North Africa, suing the network for gender discrimination.

Chair: Professor Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications, CAMRI, University of Westminster

Please be in your seats by 6.30 sharp as we will begin with a presentation of video clips from Fox News.

This event is free for University of Westminster staff and students.

When 21st Century Fox made its bid for 100% of Sky, very few anticipated what would happen next: not just a referral by the Secretary of State to Ofcom and then the Competition and Market Authority, but a subsequent agreement by the Murdochs to sell the entertainment side of Fox (including Sky) to Disney. As the CMA comes to its final conclusion about whether the Fox takeover of Sky would threaten plurality in the UK, the spotlight has focused on Sky News. Would a full Murdoch takeover threaten the news channel’s jealously guarded reputation for impartiality? What would be the implications of a Disney-owned Sky News?

This event will look at the future of Sky News and explore the impact of these changes by asking the following questions:

• Will Sky News be an unintended casualty of the Murdoch/Fox bid for the rest of Sky they do not own?
• Is a ‘spun-off’ Sky News sustainable?
• Would Disney, who are trying to buy Sky from Fox, fund a loss-making channel?
• Under Fox or Disney does Sky News have a long-term future?

The following experts will provide their insights about the future of Sky News:

• Stewart Purvis CBE, Former Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief of ITN and OfCom Partner (Chair)
• Professor Steven Barnett, University of Westminster
• David Elstein, Head of Programming at Sky 1993-1996
• Alice Enders, Enders Analysis
• John O’Loan, Launch Editor of Sky News, 1989
• Joe Mayes, Bloomberg News

Tickets need to be booked in advance on the event page. The event is organized by The Media Society in association with the CAMRI Policy Observatory at the University of Westminster.

About the CAMRI Policy Observatory:

The CAMRI Policy Observatory at the University of Westminster draws on cutting edge research that investigates the role of media, culture and communication(s) in society to contribute to policy debates and developments nationally and globally. By engaging in outreach, networking and publication activities, the Observatory aims to make research from accessible to the wider public in order to promote participation and facilitate informed debate with the potential to advance progressive social change, equality, freedom, justice, and democracy.

The CAMRI Policy Observatory is pleased to invite you to the panel discussion and book launch of Carbon Capitalism and Communication, Confronting Climate Crisis edited by Benedetta Brevini and Graham Murdock.

Ever-increasing evidence for global climate change caused by human activities has led to mounting consensus that we are likely to face a continuing and intensifying climate crisis: 2017 was the hottest year since global records began and 90% of this temperature increase was caused by the high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, levels not seen for 4 million years.

This event brings together media policy experts, scholars and activists to discuss the central role of communication in environmental debates. It will shed light on how communication systems are playing a central role in this climate crisis: Firstly, as the major spaces of public representation and debate they are the key agencies organising, and disorganising, public understanding of causes, consequences, and possible solutions. Secondly, as predominantly commercial enterprises dependent on advertising revenues they actively promote an ideology of accelerated consumerism that sustains the ecologically destructive pursuit of economic growth. Thirdly, as assemblies of machines and infrastructures they deplete scarce resources in their production, consume increasing amounts of energy in their use, and exacerbate problems of waste and disposal. Fourthly, in their ‘alternative’ and oppositional forms they play important roles in organising and sustaining opposition, protest and resistance and in securing support for ecologically supporting sustainable practices.

Chair:
Steven Barnett, Professor of Communication, University of Westminster

Panellists:
Benedetta Brevini, Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media, University of Sydney
Graham Murdock, Professor of Culture and Economy at the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough University
Danielle Paffard, UK Divestment Campaigner for 350.org
Richard Black, Director Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit

About the book:

Carbon Capitalism and Communication, Confronting Climate Crisis is edited by Benedetta Brevini and Graham Murdock and published by Palgrave Macmillan. Authors include Naomi Klein, Michael Mann, Alan Rusbridger, Blair Palese (350.org) and David Ritter (Greenpeace).

The age of big data and digital duopoly has brought about a range of policy issues and questions how to best face the challenges emerging from digital technology, for example: How can we tackle tax avoidance strategies from Facebook and Google effectively? What are the problems caused by artificial intelligence and what are policy-makers doing to mitigate or solve these issues?

The event ‘From tax avoidance to AI: Policy challenges in the age of big data and digital duopoly’ will tackle these questions: As part of the new CAMRI Policy Brief series launch, researchers from the Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) at the University of Westminster will provide insights into their recent research and its findings.

The event will feature two presentations:

Professor Christian Fuchs will present his research on tax avoidance by Facebook and Google and what can be done about it, based on his policy brief ‘The online advertising tax: A digital policy innovation’.

Dr. Mercedes Bunz will highlight the challenges brought about by artificial intelligence and review related policy strategies from the UK, US, Canada, China and EU, based on her policy brief ‘Artificial intelligence and the internet of things: UK Policy Opportunities and Challenges’.

The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session with the authors and a drinks reception.
Printed copies of the policy briefs will be available at the event.

The event is free for anyone interested, registration via Eventbrite is required.

About the CAMRI Policy Brief Series:

The CAMRI Policy Brief series provides rigorous and evidence-based policy advice and policy analysis on a variety of media and communication-related topics. In an age where the accelerated development of media and communications creates profound opportunities and challenges for society, politics and the economy, this series cuts through the noise and offers up-to-date knowledge and evidence grounded in original research in order to respond to these changes in all their complexity. By using Open Access and a concise, easy-to-read format, this peer-reviewed series aims to make new research from the University of Westminster available to the public, to policymakers, practitioners, journalists, activists and scholars both nationally and internationally.

What alternatives to the commercial Internet are desirable? How can a Public Service Internet be created and financed? What are the potentials of public service media in providing non-profit Internet platforms? How should public service Internet platforms look like and how should they differ from commercial ones? What are public service Internet platforms’ potentials to strengthen democracy? What is the role of citizens?

This workshop organised by the Policy Observatory of the Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster, aims at bringing together academics, policy-makers, civil society and industry to exchange views on how to advance a public service Internet, the digital public sphere and digital democracy. The theme of the public service Internet has only received little public attention thus far but is of huge importance in the context of how we can best overcome fake news, algorithmic politics, filter bubbles, digital tabloid culture, online hatred and nationalism, high-speed superficial online communication, the digital monopolies of Google/YouTube, Facebook, Amazon. Apple, etc.

Speakers:

Prof. Christian Fuchs, Director of CAMRI, University of Westminster;

Dr Rhianne Jones, Research Lead, the BBC Research and Development;

Dr Richard Burnley, Legal and Policy Director, the European Broadcasting Union;

Dr Maria Michalis, Reader, CAMRI, University of Westminster;

The debate will be chaired by Dr Laima Jančiūtė, Research Fellow, CAMRI, University of Westminster.

Venue: Room C1.18 (Pavilion), University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish Street, Fitzrovia, London W1W 6UW.

Date and time:

11 June 2019

4:30pm – 6pm panel debate and discussion with the audience;

6pm – 7:30pm networking drinks reception.

We look forward to welcoming you at this event!

Scarcity or inadequacy of public service media (PSM) frameworks is often linked to democratic deficits in transitional countries and beyond. What measures are needed to make the media serve all sections of society? PSM are by definition intended to meet the challenge of social and cultural diversity and political pluralism, in terms of content provision and coverage. In a period of political upheaval in several African countries, clampdowns on journalism in parts of the Arab world and recent rapid changes in demographics in Europe following large-scale forced migration, this event examines efforts and initiatives to support PSM in new environments and the obstacles they face. Bringing together academics, policy-makers, civil society and industry, this short workshop will reflect on specific examples of how and where models of PSM have contributed to media development in countries of the Global North and Global South. It will look in particular into:

• Political changes in Zimbabwe, how they impacted upon the PSM dimension and the need for urgent reforms;
• Openings in Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon that could increase the effectiveness of promoting PSM;
• How PSM in Europe have responded to the information needs of young European-born children and those from outside Europe who have recently arrived.

Speakers:

Mr James Deane, Director of Policy and Research, BBC Media Action

Dr Pierre François Docquir, Head of Media Freedom, ARTICLE 19

Prof. Naomi Sakr, former Director of CAMRI Arab Media Centre, University of Westminster

Dr Tarik Sabry, Director of CAMRI Arab Media Centre, University of Westminster

Dr Winston Mano, Director of CAMRI Africa Media Centre, University of Westminster

The debate will be chaired by Prof. Jean Seaton, the Official Historian of the BBC and Professor of Media History, CAMRI, University of Westminster

Venue: Room CG42 Chiltern Hall, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road London NW1 5LS

Date and Time:

18 June 2019 (please note that the initial date of this event has changed)

16:30 – 18:00 panel debate and discussion with the audience;

18:00 – 19:30 networking drinks reception.

We look forward to welcoming you to this event!

Co-organised by the Policy Observatory of the Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster

We would like to warmly invite you to join us for a book talk and reception that will take place on 11 July at 6:00 to 7:30 PM, Cayley Room 152-153, 309 Regent Street, University of Westminster, to launch the recently published volume International Media Development: Historical Perspectives and New Frontiers, published by Peter Lang.

Edited by Nicholas Benequista, Susan Abbott, Paul Rothman and Winston Mano, the book includes 26 chapters from distinguished academics and practitioners who seek to explore both the history of media development and to help set up a dialogue for its future.

This collection is the first of its kind on the topic of media development. It brings together luminary thinkers in the field to reflect on how advocacy groups, researchers, the international community and others can work to ensure that media can continue to serve as a force of democracy and development. But that mission faces considerable challenges. Media development paradigms are still too frequently associated with Western prejudices, or out of touch with the digital age. As we move past Western blueprints and into an uncertain digital future, what does media development mean? If we are to act meaningfully to shape the future of our increasingly mediated societies, we must answer this question.

Please come and join us for a brief conversation and a drinks reception with some of the book’s contributors and other experts in the field to celebrate this publication.

If you have any questions, please email susanabbott1@gmail.com for further details.