This AGM supports the initiative of the Coordinating Committee for Media Reform in its submission to Leveson, and further public forums, as a proper and fruitful stimulus to well-informed debate.

The motion was proposed by Máire Messenger Davies and seconded by Einar Thorsen, following a meeting of the MeCCSA Policy Network.

For further details about the initiative, please visit the Coordinating Committee for Media Reform website.

Issue 17 of Three-D also contained the following articles on UK media reform:

• Regulating the press: a role for media scholars (Stephen Coleman)
• Hackgate and media reform

I read Brian Winston’s fascinating obituary of Stuart Hood (Guardian, 22 December 2011) with sadness, surprise and a touch of guilt. Surprise that his death had not been reported till now, sadness and guilt because we had been colleagues at Goldsmiths in the 1980s and I had failed to keep in touch since then. We were not close – it was difficult to get close to a man for whom reserve was “a defence against the world” – but I felt I knew something about him before we first met. I had read his autobiographical account of wartime action with the Italian Resistance, Pebbles from my Skull, when it first came out in 1963. (It was republished with an Afterword as Carlino in 1985). The next year he left the BBC to come as Programme Controller to Rediffusion where I worked in the Schools Television Department. His arrival meant I was demoted from the library’s reading list of The Listener: ‘1: S.Hood, 2: P.Lewis 3: return to Library.’ The copy would arrive sometimes weeks later with intriguing annotations in red ink, suggestive of programme ideas.  Ten years later, I encountered him in the smoke-filled meetings of the Free Communications Group, then from 1980 we taught in the Visual Communications Department at Goldsmiths. The College’s new joint degree in Communications with Sociology had got approval from Senate House too late for advertising in UCCA so recruitment came mainly through an ad in Time Out. The Time Out year, as they became known, were a diverse, mature and talented group, some of whom after graduation formed the company, Pictures of Women, won a commission from the new Channel 4 and hired Stuart as an adviser.

His wide experience, mediated through quiet dialogue in seminars and distilled in lucid lectures, often without notes, often supported by documentation from his broadcast days, won the students’ respect. I remember an astonishing, seemingly ad lib, performance to a first year course introducing Marxism and media studies which ran for an hour and a quarter. A public lecture on John Reith explicitly drew the parallel with his own Presbyterian upbringing, echoed in the novels he wrote in this fruitful period. For me and others in the community radio movement, his translation of Brecht’s ‘Talk on the function of Radio’, first published in Screen (vol 20, no 3/4,1980) became a much-quoted founding document, and On Television was a timely addition to the degree’s reading list. He took his part in the NATFHE struggles forced upon us by the College management’s behaviour and it was in this period that some of us got a little closer to him over meals. I remember a delicious fish lunch he cooked for us in Brighton, and being gratified for his praise for a meal I served colleagues (“I didn’t know you were a cook”) – actually straight from a Sainsbury cookbook.

After reading Brian Winston’s obituary I went back to my copy of Carlino and realised I had either forgotten, or perhaps not even read at the time of first buying the book, its Epilogue (from which the above reference to reserve is taken) and the Afterword. These fascinating few pages of reflection enable me to get a little closer to Stuart. He discusses the motive for his reticence about his political position – to the Italian partisans at the time and in his original account, written while still at the BBC. “It would have been difficult for an executive of the BBC to admit that he had for some years been an active member of the Young Communist League and then of the Party.” (It  was more than a decade later that the ‘Christmas tree’ was revealed as the coded symbol attached to the personnel file of BBC staff who were of interest to MI5).  He describes his return with his wife in 1981 to the Tuscan village where a family had sheltered him in 1944, a return made partly to verify the theory proposed by an unnamed “English sociologist” about the relationship between an escaped prisoner of war and those that shelter him. Because the escapee brings prestige to the hosts, even has exchange value in dealings with the Allies, the eventual victors, he becomes a prisoner all over again, this time of his hosts. and a further escape becomes necessary. So, much to the chagrin of his hosts and the local Communist Party, Stuart disappeared from Tuscany, the war ended, he was repatriated. By coincidence, I and my wife were also in Italy in the summer of 1981, on holiday and staying for a time with a Calabrian family, at the invitation of an Italian colleague. There we underwent a peacetime version of ‘friendly imprisonment’ from which we too had to escape. Recounting this on my return for the autumn term I learned from Stuart that our experience was recognised in sociological theory. Ever since, at home, we refer to it as ‘the Hood Syndrome’.

Stuart was indeed “a born escaper” as Brian Winston reminded us, and escaping is a continual necessity for those whose reserve, of whatever origin, makes attachment difficult. I hope others who knew him will add their reminiscences so that together we can continue to decipher the attractive mystery that was Stuart Hood.

MeCCSA invites members who wishes to share their own experiences of Stuart Hood to do so in the comments field below. We also invite suggestions for a memorial or way of commemorating him (e.g. a scholarship, conference or similar in his name).

Climate change as an issue has been somewhat eclipsed by economic turbulence and economic crisis in Europe. Maintaining its profile in the national dialogue is a significant challenge for a wide range of organisations and institutions. This symposium draws on speakers from a range of these. The speakers will present their take on the challenge of keeping the public, stakeholders and organisations engaged with and informed about climate change, or the problems of confronting the issue in a legislative or social arena. But in addition, scholars in this area will speak on their area of specialisation, as it relates to the issue of public engagement – in the domains of media coverage of the issue, and attitude formation and change in this area. The aim is that the symposium will be an exchange of ideas, experiences and expertise.

So far, the speakers approached or who have already agreed to speak include:

Professor Neil Carter, University of York, Climate Policy specialist
Jennifer Pride, Welsh Government, Head – Climate Change. Communications and Engagement
Juliet Staples, Liverpool City Council, Climate Change Manager
Todd Holden, Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and former Director of the Enworks environment business support programme
Richard Black, BBC Environment correspondent
Dr Neil Gavin, Media and Climate Change
Dr Lorraine Whitmarsh, Cardiff University, Climate attitude specialist

Further details will be published on this website in due course.

I am writing to give formal notice of the Association AGM to be held during the forthcoming conference in Luton on January 12th 2012. All members are warmly invited to attend. An agenda and associated papers will be distributed at the conference.

Nominations for the Executive Committee having been fewer than the number of vacancies. No ballot will be held, and the following are declared elected to the Executive for 2012 and 2013:

Natalie Fenton
Helen Baehr
Karen Ross
Bob Franklin
John Ellis
Heather Nunn
Einar Thorsen
Stephen Lax

In addition the following were elected in January 2011 for two years:

Anita Biressi
Joanna Callaghan (Chair, Practice Section)
Maire Messenger-Davies
Peter Golding
Janey Gordon
Mark Jancovich
Tim O’Sullivan
Sue Thornham

Best wishes,
Peter Golding

As the national subject association, we are very concerned to hear from members about how the cuts/fees/privatisation regime is now impacting on your departments, institutions and yourselves as individual academic/academic-related staff. Our subject area seems particularly under threat (the October UCAS figures suggested a 40% drop in applications at that point), so we’d be grateful for any information or commentary on whatever you think is relevant – this could range from redundancies (or extra posts), course closures (or launching of new courses), freeze on posts, increase (or decrease) in staff/student ratios, increased workloads, increased focus on vocational skills, changes in pedagogy, or any other University/departmental strategies developed directly in relation to the new regime.

Could you send responses either to me (s.thornham@sussex.ac.uk) or to Natalie Fenton (N.Fenton@gold.ac.uk).

Many thanks,
Sue Thornham (MeCCSA Chair)

Guidance for Postgraduate Network conference calls

Document structure:
The conference bid should be structured like a research report. Style and language are not expected to be in academic jargon. The report may include photos and other graphic material and should ideally be submitted as a PDF file. Its length should not exceed 5,000 words. With regard to contents the bid should include the following issues:

Basic information:
Information on your city, university, faculty, graduate school and other relevant bodies may be included in the report. As there will be a competition among different universities each report should aim to convince the reviewers about why a university is particularly suited to host the MeCCSA PG conference. For instance, if there is anything extraordinary about the city where your university is located or about the research record of your faculty such kind of information may be included in the report. Nevertheless, the following, compulsory information will be regarded as crucial during the evaluation of a bid.

Compulsory information:
State the members of the organising committee (which may be subject to change) in the report and describe support from faculty and/or other relevant bodies (a further letter of support from your department is required to be enclosed to the bid).

As its core the bid should provide a detailed outline of the conference. The outline should include specific information on opening and closing addresses, guest speakers (i.e. keynote address, plenary debates etc.), workshops (i.e. PG training events) and the major conference structure (i.e. panels or other appropriate opportunities to present research) as well as a preliminary timetable. Additionally, the conference should provide space for the MeCCSA PG network executive committee meeting and for networking events (i.e. coffee breaks, conference dinner, entertainment etc.). When submitting the conference bid you may not be at a stage where you have already approached the speakers for an opening address or teachers for training events. Hence, it is sufficient to refer to a range of academics who you might wish to approach.

The bid should also detail how the conference committee is going to communicate with the delegates. This could include information on a conference package and programme as well as a specific online presence. Further points to reflect upon may include a description of conference venues, accommodation and catering. Finally, the report has to include a preliminary evaluation of the conference budget.

Expectations:
The MeCCSA PG network executive committee will review each bid. After a bid has been accepted, the MeCCSA PG network executive committee expects the conference committee and organisers to confer with the representatives of the MeCCSA PGN on issues such as plenary speakers, workshops and conference outline. Generally, the conference is expected to be held in late June or early July.

Deadline:
Please submit your completed bid to Ruth Sabido at rsanzs@dmu.ac.uk by Dec 1 2011.

A collaboration between the MeCCSA Disability Studies Network and the Disability Equality Research Network

Speakers

• Professor Nick Watson
  ‘Bad news for disabled people: Changes in the way newspaper report disability
• Allan Sutherland
  Title TBC
• Deborah Williams
  The Good, The bad and The Disabled!
• Nicola Martin
  Disability Identity: Disability Pride

This event is based around a new study of how media are reporting and misrepresenting disability in the context of government spending cuts. Bringing together a recognition of ‘International day of persons with disabilities’ with an exploration of the major shifts in the portrayal of disabled people, leading voices on the topics of disability, media and identity have been invited to examine the impact recent media coverage is having on public attitudes and on disabled people themselves.

Refreshments will be provided. Discussion and networking will be welcomed.

Please see directions above. Nearest tube is Kings Cross/St Pancras.

This is a free event. However places are limited so you are encouraged to reserve a place by emailing Alison Wilde at alison.wilde@bangor.ac.uk

In this issue:
1 HE White Paper and Media Reform (Einar Thorsen)

Features
2 KIS my Ass(essment): HE White paper (Natalie Fenton)
4 The new assault on media studies (Anonymous)
5 Inside out: turning consumers back into students (Milly Williamson)
6 Regulating the press: a role for media scholars (Stephen Coleman)
7 Hackgate and media reform
8 Teaching challenges and solutions (Debbie Flint)
9 Thinking with food: an ideas exchange (Julian Matthews)
10 Mediated politics: the ‘cultural turn’ in political communication research (Kay Richardson, Katy Parry)

Reports and initiatives
11 Chair’s report (Sue Thornham)
12 The HEA restructuring (John Mundy)
13 MeCCSA Annual Conference 2012 (Conference Organisers)
14 Policy Network (Máire Messenger Davies)
15 Radio Studies Network (Stephen Lax)
16 Practice Network (Joanna Callaghan)
18 Race Network (Sarita Malik)
19 Disability Studies Network (Alison Wilde)
20 Women’s Media Studies Network (Heather Nunn)
21 Postgraduate Network Annual Conference and 2011/2012 Committee (Shelley Thompson, Ruth Sanz Sabido)

Einar Thorsen

In this issue of Three-D, we are for the first time publishing an anonymous article. It is a sad consequence of the belligerent attacks on higher education, and in this instance media studies, that people fear speaking out publicly. The article makes grim reading and is a stark warning to us all of what might happen if we do not stand up against the reckless implementation of vain Government policies, not to mention Universities’ kneejerk reactions to arbitrary NSS scores. Natalie Fenton provides an excellent critique of the Higher Education White Paper, whilst Milly Williamson suggests ways in which we should resist the ‘ideological attack on the purpose of higher education and on the social role of learning’.

Following the phone hacking scandal that led to the News of the World’s closure, our attention is naturally also on media reform. Stephen Coleman offers a call for media scholars to be actively involved in this process. Media Reform UK has taken on the role of coordinating such efforts, and details about policy briefing papers being developed are also in this issue.

Over the summer we completed work on the revamped version of the MeCCSA website. As part of this process, Three-D content will now be dual-published as news posts on the website, in addition to this PDF version. Crucially, we have enabled comments on news items to enable people to respond with greater immediacy directly on the site. Moderation is in place to avoid spamming, but we hope this will foster an additional space for creative and free-flowing dialogue around issues concerning the MeCCSA membership. Following the website relaunch, we have also refreshed the network pages of Three-D with the new logos and visual identities. We hope you enjoy these changes and as alway welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

If you would like to write for or advertise in the next edition of Three-D, please get in touch with me on ethorsen@bmth.ac.uk by the end of January 2012. Suggestions for our website are also welcome.

John Mundy

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) exists to promote excellence in teaching and learning across the higher education sector. A recent restructuring of the HEA will see responsibility for encouraging teaching and learning excellence move from the former Subject Centres to newly-appointed academic Discipline Leads. Although the Art Design & Media Subject Centre will continue its work until the end of March 2012, as the new Discipline Lead for Media and Communications, I am particularly keen to work with MeCCSA and its members to take advantage of the support that the HEA can provide. This support includes funding for both discipline-based and thematic workshops, seminars, events and conferences.

An open call for institutionally-based workshops was launched in early October on the HEA website and ideas are being sought for other ideas related to pedagogical practice and research, including postgraduate provision. Earlier in September, the HEA launched a call for institutional/departmental Teaching Development Grants, with funding support up to £30.000 available. The HEA is keen to hear from the Media and Communications academic community about future directions at a time when teaching and learning is high on the agenda. It is also looking for individuals with an interest in pedagogy to apply for and register as HEA Associates who would be available to engage in or lead paid workshops and events.  The HEA is also proposing a series of focus and advisory groups where colleagues can help shape activities and resources for the future.

For further information on the range of support the HEA can offer and/or for ways to become involved, please do visit the HEA website www.heacademy.ac.uk.  Alternatively, please do feel free to contact me at: john.mundy@heacademy.ac.uk or on 07720 968821.