Community roles and governance/Communications Committee
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The Communications Committee was created to support Wikimedia as a global movement. The idea was that local communities are better suited to deal with press crises than some centralized organization (i.e. Wikimedia Foundation). When Wikipedia first started getting interest from the press, the community realized there needed to be some communications function, and so this committee was formed.
The Communications Committee is essentially a mailing list of press contacts, who are also listed as regional contacts on the Wikimedia Foundation web site. It is used to share news from around the world, and also to discuss messaging. Jay Walshsee interview and Moka Pantages of the Wikimedia Foundation use it to keep people apprised of the Foundation's official position on issues.
The list tends to be more reactive than proactive. It is more about the day-to-day mechanics of communication than big picture, philosophical discussions about advocacy.
There tends to be overlap between this committee and people active within Wikimedia Chapters, as all chapter press contacts should be on the list.
References
- Task force/Advocacy Agenda/2009-12-28 meeting, where Jimmy Walessee interview provided some information about the Communications Committee.
- Resolution codifying committees.