Reports
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Section Report: Mass Media and Popular Culture LASA 2019 – Boston
Prepared by Matthew Bush
In the meeting of the Mass Media and Popular Culture section at LASA 2019, nine colleagues attended the gathering and discussed a series of topics. The most important of these issues was the announcement of the new co-chairs of the section: Mariana De Maio and Sallie Hughes. These colleagues will now take leadership of the section over the next three years, holding their first section meeting at LASA 2020 in Guadalajara. Among the other topics discussed were the use of social media to further section participation. The group was informed, as were present co-chairs Pablo Alabarces and Matthew Bush at the section chairs meeting, of LASA’s aid in configuring and maintaining Facebook and other social media accounts. There was interest among the colleagues present at the meeting to also establish a Whatsapp thread to inform colleagues of section activities and news. There was also some discussion of re-visiting the section’s mission statement whose focus is largely geared toward cultural studies, but makes little mention of the field of journalism in which many of the section’s colleagues are active. A final issue that was mentioned was the topics that could be proposed for the section’s panels for Guadalajara 2020. One possibility that was signaled was the question of security for journalists in Mexico, which was of interest to many colleagues in attendance. As Pablo Alabarces and Matthew Bush now step down from our leadership role we greatly thank Mariana De Maio and Sallie Hughes for their willingness to head the section and will help in whatever capacity we may to ensure a smooth transition.
New Section Co-Chairs
Mariana De Maio, Lehigh University, 2020-2022
Sallie Hughes, University of Miami, 2020-2022