Section Head Election 2016 - Candidate statements

Digital Divide Working Group

The IAMCR Digital Divide Working Group will hold elections during the working group business meeting at the upcoming conference in Leicester. Both the chair and the vice-chair positions are open. The terms run for four years.

Responsibilities include all phases of conference programming for the working group, the management and moderation of the paper selection process and timetabling of sessions, communication with working group members through online and face to face meetings, the management of working group official webpages on social media and its official website, as well as participation in association-wide decision-making.

The current working group Chair, Dr. Olga Smirnova, is seeking re-election. The current working group Secretary, Dr. Anna Gladkova, is running for the position of vice-chair.

Nominations and self-nominations for the positions of chair and vice-chair are welcome. Interested candidates should send their name, institutional position and a statement (maximum 400 words) to Olga Smirnova <smirnovaorama[at]gmail.com> with a copy to IAMCR General Secretary Maria Michalis <M.Michalis[at]westminster.ac.uk> and to the IAMCR secretariat <membership[at]iamc.org>. The deadline for submitting candidacies is July 13, 2016.

Candidates and statements

For Chair:

  • Olga Smirnova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian Federation

For Vice-Chair:

  • Anna Gladkova, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russian Federation

Statements

Dr. Olga Smirnova, Associate Professor, Head of the Chair of Periodical Press, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University

I would like to offer my services for the Digital Divide Working Group over the next period of four years in the capacity of Chair.

Since 2008, I take the position of Associate Professor at the Chair of Periodical Press at Lomonosov Moscow State University. In 2014, I was elected Head of this Chair and since then a list of my responsibilities includes different administrative and managerial tasks, in addition to my research and teaching commitments.

I have published 73 articles covering diverse aspects of mass media and communication fields, periodical press and digital divide in academic journals, including World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies, Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, Medi@lmanakh, Voprosy teorii I praktiki zhurnalistiki and others. I also co-authored 12 books on theory and practice of journalism. In 2016, I started together with a group of my colleagues a new research project entitled “The newspapers of medium and small cities: sociological research” launched by the Chair of Periodical Press. At the moment we are working on the next step of the research – “Periodical press in big cities of Russia in 2010s” carried out as the review of the system and its perspectives. My research interests include among other things media education, gender problems and media, as well as the problem of digital divide in Russia and worldwide. In 2016, I won IV International Media Research Award of National Association of Russian Mass Media Researchers.

I am a member of several academic organizations, including European Communication Research and Education Association (since 2008), International Communication Association (since 2011), National Association of Russian Mass Media Researchers (since 2011).

I am the member of IAMCR since 2006. From 2006 to 2012, I have been an active participant and Secretary of Digital Divide Working Group. In 2012, at IAMCR conference in Durban (South Africa) I was elected as the Chair of DDWG.

My list of responsibilities within IAMCR community included:

  • Formulating topics for DDWG section meetings, as well as agenda for annual business meetings;
  • Preparing and distributing call for papers;
  • Organizing reviewing process and communication with experts;
  • Preparing final program of DDWG;
  • Communication with the members of WG and IAMCR governing body before the conference and throughout the year;
  • Updating DDWG official website with relevant information

Dr. Anna Gladkova, Senior Researcher, Director of the Office of International Affairs, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University

I would like to offer my services for the Digital Divide Working Group over the next period of four years in the capacity of Vice-Chair.

I work as Senior Researcher at the Chair of Media Theory and Economics, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University. I successfully defended my PhD thesis on transformation of the Dutch media system in 2012 and has published over 20 articles in both Russian and international academic journals since then, including Journal of Multicultural Discourses, Russian Journal of Communication, Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta and others. My research interests include intercultural communication, ethnic journalism, cultural and linguistic pluralism, media psychology. Since 2015, I am in charge of the research project "The Map of Russian Ethnic Media" carried out at the Faculty of Journalism as an interdisciplinary project, which examines different access to media platforms, in particular digital media, among ethnic groups in Russia.

Along with my work as Senior Researcher, I take the position of Executive Director at National Association of Russian Mass Media Researchers (since 2014) and Executive Editor of the association's academic journal World of Media. Journal of Russian Media and Journalism Studies (since 2012). My list of responsibilities includes building and developing associaton's contacts with international partners, academic and civil organizations, communication with NAMMI's members, supporting NAMMI's official website, etc.

Last but not least, I work full-time as Director of the Office of International Affairs at the Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University (since 2014). My list of responsibilities includes among others international scholar advising, overseeing incoming and outgoing scholar mobility, organizing international academic conferences, setting up partnerships with foreign universities, etc.

In 2015, I was appointed Secretary of the Digital Divide Working Group. I took an active part in planning and administrating working group section meetings and business meeting during the last year conference in Montreal, communicating with working group members before, during and after the conference. Additionally, I am currently in charge of the working group official pages on social media and its official website. I truly enjoy working for the Digital Divide Working Group and hope to continue collaboration with it in the position of Vice-Chair further on.

Sections and Working Groups