Media Workshop on “Humanitarian Disasters, Human Rights Violations, and Social Media Journalism”; 11-14 Dec; at Kolkata

Media Workshop on "Humanitarian Disasters, Human Rights Violations, and Social Media Journalism"

11-14 December 2013

Organized by the Calcutta Research Group (CRG), Kolkata

The workshop will be in the form of a media research lab. The focus will be on interdisciplinary engagement with new media, digital culture and technology on issues of human rights violations and humanitarian disasters. The workshop will run parallel to the Eleventh Orientation Course on Forced Migration Studies to be held in Kolkata, India (8-14 December 2013). The workshop will engage with critical questions, such as: How empowering, after all, is social media? Has it indeed democratized news? If yes, in what modes and forms has this democratization been attained? In democratic societies, how shall we draw the fi ne line between freedom of expression and of defamation? The workshop will engage with these questions through the optic of humanitarian disasters and human rights violations and the need to protect the victims of these disasters and violations. The workshop will endeavour to sensitize social media activists to issues of rights and protection resulting from forced migration, and, in the process of the programme, establish connect between mainstream journalists working on forced migration issues and social media activists. The participation of social media activists will be the main source of information.
Applications are invited from citizen journalists, social-media activists, and professional journalists. Applications from human-rights activists, policymakers, media specialists, and activists working in the field of human rights and humanitarian assistance for victims of forced migration are also welcome. Applicants must have (a) experience in traditional or social media studies, or policy studies on forced migration, OR, two-year experience of working in the traditional media or social media activism, AND (b) profi ciency in English. Besides giving all necessary particulars, application must be accompanied by one appropriate recommendation letter and a 500-1000 word write-up on how the programme is relevant to the applicant's work and may benefi t the applicant. Applicants will have to pay a registration fee of INR 2,000 (for non-Indian participants USD$ 200). In Kolkata, the CRG will provide accommodation and bear other expenses for all participants. Inquiries relating to the application procedure are welcome.
Applications, addressed to the Media Module Coordinator, should be sent by e-mail to atig@mcrg.ac.in and forcedmigrationdesk@mcrg.ac.in or by post to the following address: Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, GC 45 Sector 3, Salt Lake, Kolkata – 700 106, West Bengal, India. Phone: +91 (33) 2337 0408. The workshop is being supported by the British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata. All applications must reach by 9 September 2013.

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