Inauguration of the Activities of the Committee on Social Communication and Media Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the 2024–2027 Term

On 22 February 2024 in Warsaw, the first meeting of the newly appointed Committee on Social Communication and Media Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the 2024–2027 term was held. The meeting was opened by the Dean of Division I of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Andrzej Buko, who conducted the election of the Committee’s authorities. In a secret ballot, Prof. Iwona Hofman was unanimously elected Chair of the Committee, while Prof. Jadwiga Woźniak-Kasperek and Prof. Stanisław Jędrzejewski were elected Vice-Chairs. The members of the Committee’s Presidium and the Secretary were also appointed.

In the subsequent part of the meeting, chaired by Prof. Iwona Hofman, a vision for the Committee’s activities in the new term was presented. The Chair emphasized the importance of inter-committee cooperation within the Polish Academy of Sciences and the need to build alliances with other disciplines. She also proposed key initiatives for the upcoming period, including the establishment of the Committee on Social Communication and Media Sciences Award of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the inclusion of a team of early-career researchers in the Committee’s work, particularly those preparing for subsequent academic promotions. These proposals received strong support from the meeting participants.

During the meeting, work was also initiated on the structure of the Committee’s commissions and task forces, covering areas such as media education, public media, civic communication, public relations, as well as new media and media linguistics. Prof. Iwona Hofman highlighted the role of the Committee as an opinion-forming and expert body, actively responding to changes in the system of science, the evaluation of disciplines, and grant policy.