Role of Media in Poverty Alleviation and Social Justice

February 24-25, 2020

Bahria University, Karachi Campus, Pakistan

The global landscape is grappling with escalating challenges of rising poverty, increasing economic disparities, and social injustices. Pakistan mirrors this struggle, with almost 39 percent of its population living in multidimensional poverty, and over 25 percent lacking the means to fulfill basic needs. This stark reality stands in stark contrast to the vision of the nation's founding father, Quaid-e-Azam, who emphatically advocated for prioritizing the well-being of the people, especially the masses and the poor. Unfortunately, the discourse on poverty tends to reduce the issue to mere numbers, devoid of a holistic view and practical solutions. Economic development indicators and mounting social injustice are often overlooked in discussions on poverty alleviation, while issues like illiteracy, population explosion, debt traps, extremism, and political apathy exacerbate the situation, creating a relentless spiral of human misery. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach, necessitating firm commitment, perpetual motivation, and consistent accountability from stakeholders, particularly the media. The media, with its potential to highlight causes, identify solutions, suggest policy directions, and generate social mobilization, can play a pivotal role in (re)creating discourses on poverty alleviation and social justice.

The AMCAP-BUKC 2020 International Conference, in collaboration with Bahria University Karachi, provided a crucial platform for media academics and other stakeholders to tackle the multifaceted objectives related to poverty alleviation and social justice. These objectives included appraising challenges faced in poverty alleviation, analyzing theoretical arguments and practical approaches, evaluating state policies concerning poverty and media, addressing these issues through education and media education, studying media frames of poverty and social injustices, examining both local and global approaches, and identifying the role of media in mobilizing stakeholders for poverty alleviation. The conference, through academic and conceptual papers, aspired to ignite healthy debates aimed at designing and executing policies and strategies to alleviate poverty, promote economic development, and contribute to social justice. Beyond the general theme and objectives, the conference encompassed a diverse array of topics aligned with thematic sections, including Development and Communication, Gender and Media, Media Culture and Society, Media Ethics, Digital Media, Media Education, Film Studies, and Media Literacy.

In essence, the AMCAP-BUKC 2020 International Conference strove to be a crucible of knowledge exchange and collaboration, fostering discussions that transcended conventional boundaries and contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and potential solutions related to poverty, economic development, and social justice.

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

• Association of Media & Communication Academic Professionals (AMCAP)
• Bahria University Karachi Campus, Karachi, Pakistan

Click here for the Proceedings Book 2020