Honorary Members

Barış Çoban is a Professor in the Communication Sciences Department, Doğuş University, Turkey. His research interests include alternative (new) media, new social movements, surveillance and journalism safety. He edited the book “Social Media and Social Movements” (Lexington, 2015) and co-edited the books “Alternative Media in Turkey” (Kafka, 2015), “Panopticon 2.0: Alternative Media and Counter-Surveillance (Kafka, 2018)”; “New Journalism – Mediums, Experiences, Opportunities” (Kafka, 2020) and co-authored research articles: ‘The Gezi Resistance and Activist Citizen Reporters’ published by De Gruyter’s Communications journal in Vol. 42, issue 1, in March 2017; ‘How safe is it? Being an Activist Citizen Journalist in Turkey’ published in an edited book titled ‘The Assault on Journalism’ (U. Carlsson & R. Pöyhtari, 2017) by Nordicom; ‘Counter-surveillance and alternative new media in Turkey’ published by Taylor & Francis’s Information, Communication and Society journal in Vol. 21, issue 7, in March 2018; ‘Turkey: How to deal with threats to journalism’ published in an edited book titled ‘Transnational Othering – Global Diversities: Media, extremism and free expression’ (E. Eide, K. Skare Orgeret & N. Mutluer, 2019) by Nordicom and ‘A Review on the Safety of Journalists in Turkey: A Victims’ Rights Perspective’ in S. Jamil’s (ed.) 2020 book titled ‘Handbook of Research on Combating Threats to Media Freedom and Journalist Safety’ by IGI Global. The last co-edited book of Çoban (with B. Ataman, S. Jamil and G. Appiah-Adjei) published by IGI Global in the late 2020 was Handbook of Research on Discrimination, Gender Disparity, and Safety Risks in Journalism.

Dr. B. K. Ravi, Professor & Chairman, Department of Communication, Bangalore University, Jnanabharathi Campus, has Thirty Years of teaching and research experience. During his academic tenure, he has presented Research papers in India and abroad including USA, Poland, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Kenya, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia, Canada and China. He has published articles in International Research Journals, guided eight students for doctoral studies and adjudicated many theses for National and International universities.. He has chaired nearly fourteen scientific sessions at international conferences in different countries. Dr.B.K.Ravi was on the Scientific Committee of the First International Forum on Media & Information Literacy constituted jointly by UNESCO and University of Fez, Morocco, Africa, where he chaired a session on „Media and Information Systems Worldwide- Critical Analysis‟ and also presented a paper titled „Information Literacy and the theory of Out-Of-Reach’. Prof. Ravi was an invitee to a prestigious International workshop on Broad Band Policy held in 2012 at Washington DC Organized Jointly by Ford Foundation and Penn. State University, Dr.Ravi is the member of Editorial Boards of Journal of National Mission for Media Literacy, USA, Journal of Mass Communication and Journalism, David Publishing House, USA, Academic Research International, Pakistan, Asia Pacific Journal of Arts, Education and Sciences, Philliphines, Member, Editorial Board, Global Media Journal, Canadian Edition, Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Development and Social Change and Member, International Editorial Advisory Board Media and Communication Review, Lagos State University, Nigeria. He has published six books on Media. He has produced more than 25 programmes for TV including many documentaries. He has also to his credit, nearly 20 productions for Radio, besides 67 talks on radio.

His television Documentary “PILIKULA” has bagged the prestigious Documentary Award-2015, conferred during the Global Communication Conclave in New Delhi in April 2015. Dr.Ravi”s well acclaimed Television Documentaries are “Wanderers Of Karnataka”, “Making of National Flag”. Prof.Ravi was invited to deliver a Special Lecture on “Indian Media Industry” in Bridge Water State University, USA in November 2013. He is the Member, National Executive Council and former Chairman of Public Relations Council of India, Karnataka Chapter, President, Karnataka Journalism and Communication Teachers Association. He is the Secretary-General, National Council-India of Asia Communication Media Congress,(ACMC) Philippines. Also, the Advisory Board Member of Global Communication Association, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.

Recently his Book on Political Communication entitled “Modern Media Elections and Democracy” was published by SAGE Publications. Dr. B. K. Ravi was the Registrar of Bangalore University and Presently he is the Professor and Chairman of Department of Communication, Bangalore University.

Dr. Elira Turdubaeva has a PhD degree in Media and Communications from Kyrgyzstan-Turkey Manas University. She worked at several universities, including a prior appointment as Department Head of Journalism and Mass Communications at American University of Central Asia. Currently she is a Senior Researcher on Network Analysis and Social Media at Graduate Studies Department of University of Central Asia. She is also a founder and president of a new start-up Online University in Kyrgyzstan and Association of Communicators of Kyrgyzstan. Her research focuses on media uses, political participation and media, election campaign analysis, protests and social media, social media uses, network analysis, new media studies, ICT and youth, propaganda analysis, representations of gender, journalism education, media and migration, media and activism, surveillance technologies and privacy in Central Asia, hate speech and social media, etc.

Gifty Appiah-Adjei (PhD) has been a lecturer and a researcher with the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Education, Winneba in Ghana since 2011. She holds a PhD degree in Applied Communication from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (2018). Also, she has a postgraduate degree in Communication and Media Studies (University of Education, Winneba). She is a recipient of the Norwegian UNESCO Commissions’ and Oslo Metropolitan University’s conference scholarships (2019) and the UEW/CARNEGIE Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies (2008 – 2009). She is affiliated with the Communication Educators Association of Ghana (CEAG) and the Journalism Safety Research Network (JSRN). Her research interest includes Security of Journalists; Press Freedom; Ethnic Journalism; Conflict-Sensitive Reporting and on-the Job Trauma; Media and Democracy; Media and Gender; Information Disorder; and Journalism Education.

Jude William Genilo is the Head of the Media Studies and Journalism Department, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). He is also the Director of ULAB’s Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).   He earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master’s Degree in Communication from the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He also has undergraduate degrees in Economics and Management from De La Salle University-Manila. Before joining ULAB, he headed the postgraduate program of a prestigious public relations school in Jakarta, Indonesia and served as a research fellow at the Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (KURDI) in Bangkok, Thailand. He is author of the book, Community-Based Communication: A New Approach to Development Communication (Great Books Publishing: 2005), and co-editor (with Brian Shoesmith) of the anthology, Bangladesh’s Changing Mediascape: From State Control to Market Forces (Intellect UK: 2013).   He co-edited a book with Muhammad Abdul Kader entitled “Revisiting Anwar Hossain’s ’71” (ULAB and Somoy Prokashoni: 2016).

Dr. Mariateresa Garrido (Venezuela) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Law at University for Peace (UPEACE) and the Coordinator of the UPEACE Doctoral Programme. She is an international lawyer who holds a Doctorate from UPEACE on Peace and Conflict Studies. Her main research area is related to the exercise of the right to freedom of expression in the digital age and the protection of journalists in Latin America. She has publications related to the protection of journalists during armed conflicts, journalists’ safety training, and threats and dangers experienced by Venezuelan journalists. Her classes focus on the use of media for peace and conflict as well as the exercise and protection of freedom of expression through the use of digital technologies. She uses mixed methodologies and legal research to explore linkages between the law, journalism, and new technologies.

Dr. Sadia Jamil is a postdoctoral fellow at Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi. In July 2015, she has received her PhD degree in Journalism at the University of Queensland, Australia. She also holds postgraduate degrees in the disciplines of Media Management (University of Stirling, Scotland) and Mass Communication (University of Karachi). Dr Jamil has been serving International Association of Media and Communication Research as the Vice Chair of Journalism Research and Education Section since 2016.  Since July 2020, she has been serving IAMCR’s Journalism Research and Education Section as an Interim Chair. Dr. Jamil has published and edited collections on freedom of expression, media freedom, safety of journalists, data journalism, ethnic media and digital divides. Her most recent edited books include ‘the Handbook of Research on Combating Threats to Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety’ (IGI Global, 2019); ‘Discrimination, Gender Equality and Safety Risks in Journalism’ (forthcoming 2020, IGI Global) co-edited with Professor Baris Coban, Professor Bora Ataman and Dr Gifty Appiah-Adjei; ‘Ethnic Journalism in the Global South’ (forthcoming 2021, Palgrave MacMillan) co-edited with Dr. Anna Gladkova; and ‘Environmental Journalism in the Global South’ co-edited with Professor Ramon Tuazon and Therese Patricia S. Torres (forthcoming, Palgrave MacMillan).

Currently, she is serving editorial boards of: Routledge’s Journalism Practice and Digital Journalism, Intellect’s Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies and Media Watch journal.  Dr Jamil is also serving in the International Editorial Board of Bloomsbury-I.B. Tauris book series: “Political Communication and Media Practices in the Middle East and North Africa.”   To date, Dr Jamil is the recipient of a number of international awards and scholarships including: The University of Queensland’s Centennial Award (2010), UQ’s International Postgraduate Research Support Award (2010), the Norwegian UNESCO Commissions’ and Oslo Metropolitan University’s conference scholarships (2015-2018), IAMCR’s travel grant award (2019), Union Insurance’s Cairo Air Crash Journalists Victim Memorial Gold Medal (2007) and Daily Jang’s and The News’ Sardar Ali Sabri Memorial Gold Medal (2007).

Ms. Torres is the director of the Research, Policy, and Advocacy Unit of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) in Manila, Philippines. She also teaches journalism, research writing, and communication for development at the Miriam College Department of Communication, and serves as Board Member of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) Philippine chapter. Her studies on media and information literacy, mindful journalism, and the safety of journalists have been published in books by Nordicom, International Media Support, SAGE Publications, IGI Global, and UNESCO.