"What role does mass media play in the promotion of global norms? We address this question through an analysis of Human Development Reports (HDRs) produced by the United Nations Development Programme. Although HDRs have promoted human development ideology over the past twenty-five years, little is k
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nown about how and to what extent their messages have been disseminated to the public. Addressing this gap in the literature, we examine a critical intervening factor in the process of international norm diffusion: political communication via the mass media. Highlighting the importance of framing and agenda setting, we identify four communicative mechanisms that can facilitate norm diffusion: credibility, persistence, resonance, and decentralization. Through qualitative and quantitative content analysis, we assess how these mechanisms have enabled HDRs to attract favorable global media attention such that they are now cited much more frequently than their rival, the World Bank's World Development Reports." (Abstract)
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"Development journalism remains an important concept in the journalism studies literature, but it has, at the same time, suffered from a lack of empirical research. Drawing on a survey of 2598 journalists from eight South Asian, Southeast Asian, and sub-Saharan African countries, which was conducted
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as part of the Worlds of Journalism Study, this study assesses the importance journalists ascribe to three key development journalism roles—social intervention, national development, and educating people. It also compares these perceptions across the countries, between government- and privately owned news media in these countries, and between these countries and 19 Worlds of Journalism Study countries in Western Europe and North America, which profess to adhere to an objective and democratic press function. Findings suggest that journalists from the eight countries, across government- and privately owned media, considered development journalism important, and detached, adversarial journalism as less important. Their rating of the latter roles differed considerably from those of journalists from the 19 comparison countries. Results suggest that journalists were more likely socialized into their roles rather than being forced into the same by the heavy hand of government." (Abstract)
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"Narrative is essential for public engagement with global poverty. Stand Up Planet, a documentary about global development, was produced to evaluate the effects of a little-utilized nonfiction comedy narrative. Using a pretest–posttest experimental design, this study examines shifts in U.S. audien
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ce engagement with global poverty after watching Stand Up Planet, compared with a somber documentary, The End Game. Both documentaries increased awareness of global poverty, support for government aid, knowledge, and intended actions. However, Stand Up Planet produced significantly larger gains in awareness, knowledge, and actions; these effects were mediated by the narrative’s relatability, positive emotions, and entertainment value. The End Game’s effects were mediated by narrative transportation and negative emotions. Implications for narrative in social change campaigns are discussed." (Abstract)
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"This article challenges the traditional role ascribed by liberal and developmental media theory that journalists should either be watchdogs or developmental journalists but not both at the same time. As part of the South African leg of the Worlds of Journalism (WJS) project this article argues that
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it is indeed possible that the media can fulfil both roles. Utilizing the WJS 2014 questionnaire and based on a provincial face-to-face (n=37) and a national electronic survey (n=371) the results from the WJS South African project show a potential new trend in the way South African journalists see their role. This article reports in the main on the background to the face-to-face survey, while utilizing data from the national survey reported on elsewhere. Data analysis showed when both roles were compared to one another it was apparent that the watchdog and developmental roles were statistically significantly related to one another." (Abstract)
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"Development journalism has been a key focus of discussion among journalism scholars for around half a decade, but most of the attention has been firmly on African and Asian countries. This article examines the situation on the little-researched island nation of Fiji, which has experienced considera
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ble political instability since independence in 1970. Based on interviews with 77 of the country's small population of just over 100 journalists, we find that journalism in Fiji exhibits similarities to Western journalism ideals, but also a significant development journalism orientation. A comparison with six other countries from the global South shows that this mix is not unique, and we argue that Western journalism approaches and development ideals are not by necessity mutually exclusive, as has often been argued. In this way, the article aims to contribute to a reassessment of our understanding of development journalism and how journalists in developing societies view their work." (Abstract)
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"This handbook provides a distinctly African perspective on how to create direct linkages between consumers of information and development projects by using words and images that communicate and resonate with ease. Development issues can seem dull and flat but they can create a huge impact in societ
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y if turned into lively and robust stories expertly and skillfully told by creative journalists. With the help of this handbook, the African storyteller will be able to tell stories that matter on issues that matter and in a manner that does not clutter the page but appeals to the eye and the heart. After all, in development journalism, it doesn’t have to bleed in order to lead; it only needs to be readable and relevant. And finally, in an era of fake news that threatens to not only distort the truth, but sometimes endanger society through incitement to violence, it’s more important than ever that African journalists maintain the highest standards and use the latest tools to fight back." (Foreword, page 5)
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"Language is a major tool for governance and dissemination of information. Citizens need to participate effectively in discourse pertaining to their private and public interests and enterprises in order to understand matters of development and governance. The proliferation of vernacular radio statio
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ns in Kenya, which continues despite the absence of state moderating and promotion structures, could be an ideal platform for educating citizens. The aim of this paper is to find out the role that vernacular language as used by Kass FM radio station plays in development. The method that was used for data collection is purposive sampling. The results indicate that, vernacular radio plays a major role in creating awareness among citizens at the grassroots levels through topics revolving around education, agriculture, politics & governance and healthcare. This is done in among other ways through the borrowing and adaptation of technical words from English and Kiswahili. These stations need to be accorded direct government support in terms of diversification of programming and mainstreaming of vernacular language to achieve the Kenyan government developmental benchmarks enumerated in the vision 2030." (Abstract)
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"While development journalism was mainly a top-down form of communication (authoritative) during the socialistic era, in the liberal era the development-oriented journalists draw on both the Social Responsibility and Libertarian Theories of the media. The ‘state–public service’ broadcasters re
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flect more of the former while commercial broadcasters employ more of the latter. The programme analysis showed that a gender focused development-oriented journalism is more likely to be practiced in the ‘state–public service’ than in commercial broadcasting." (Abstract)
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"Building a body of empirical evidence about why and how journalists use such multimedia and the consequences of this for journalism, NGO-work and those represented, is the central focus of this thesis. Unlike previous research on news coverage of Africa and journalists’ use of NGO-provided multim
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edia that tends to focus on the coverage of ‘disasters’ or ‘humanitarian emergencies’, this study analyses journalists’ use of NGO-provided multimedia about Africa during a very different news-making period – what journalists call a ‘quiet news week’.
The research involved sixty semi-structured interviews with those whose decisions shaped the production of six media items, which were also subject to qualitative content analysis. These items were about a range of topics and African countries: all of which were published or broadcast in news readily available to British audiences. But why and how journalists used NGO-provided multimedia was shaped most powerfully by the ‘moral economies’ (Sayer 2007) structuring each news outlet. These moral economies were found to have brought about a ‘quiet revolution’: leading to the emergence of a number of heterogeneous, normatively-laden coalitions between NGOs and news outlets, often hidden from the view of audiences. Consequently, journalists’ use of NGO-provided multimedia was found to have limited progressive potential: for it inhibited collective reasoning by preventing critical scrutiny, as well as systematically excluding the political value of ‘voice’ in ways which further marginalised the disadvantaged and powerless (Sen 2010)." (Abstract)
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"By definition, development stories are big news in developing countries. The problem is media reports are typically just government announcements of infrastructure development – roads, bridges, hospitals, etc. – and official claims that lives will improve. Those articles turn off the reading an
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d viewing public, and that has some editors pulling their staffs off this important coverage. But there can be much more to these stories. Here are 10 tips from Edem Djokotoe, Knight International Journalism Fellow in Malawi in 2010 and 2011. Djokotoe’s advice stresses less jargon and more people, impact and original reporting. It reminds us that we are writing for ordinary people – not development “experts” – to show them the implications of the events unfolding around them." (Page 1)
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"Writing weblogs (blogs) has become a substantial part of how development is discussed on the Internet. Based on research with development bloggers and the authors' own social media practice, this article is an exploratory case study to approach the impact of blogging on reflective writing, work pra
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ctices, as well as knowledge management. Based on interviews with bloggers, the article undertakes an analysis of bloggers' motivations and the potential as well as limitations of blogs for different sectors of the industry, for example in academia, inside aid organisations, and in understanding expatriate aid workers. Finally, the article explores the question of whose voice is represented in blogs." (Abstract)
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"This article examines the changing role of radio for development in sub-Saharan Africa as ‘new’ Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) increasingly enter the information landscape. Grounded in the empirical findings of a research programme – Radio, Convergence and Development in Af
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rica (RCDA) – it explores the potential for convergent communication technologies to improve knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing between development actors at all levels. By drawing on research carried out as part of the RCDA programme, this article raises questions about the ability for radio broadcasters to act as ‘knowledge intermediaries’ in this context – brokering and translating information about development issues between international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local NGOs, grassroots advocacy groups and local beneficiaries. It draws attention to the barriers impeding their ability to fulfill this role by highlighting issues related to ICT convergence, capacity, funding and ‘NGO-isation’." (Abstract)
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"In 2008, Ethiopian authorities presented a draft policy document which established development journalism as the official reporting style for the state media. The policy prescribes that the media an journalists should play an active role in the country's development scheme. Assigning such a role th
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e the media is controversial-not the least since it is seen to be at odds with media independance and press freedom. The present study discusses the Ethiopian development journalism policy in light of other recognised development journalism models. The study also uses in-depth interviews with journalists in the Ethiopian state media, to consider how the new policy has been received in the newsroom. The overall conclusion is that the journalists are favourable towards development journalism as a professional framework, but they are challenged when they try to convert the framework into actual media practice. The problems are threefold: the ambiguity of development journalism as a concept and practice; the political inclination of the state media; and a lack of participation by the public." (Abstract)
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"How should scholars approach the study of the developmental uses of rural radio? What is the theoretical framework within which to locate the study of rural radio formats employed as development communication? To answer these questions, this brief critique develops a theoretical matrix to be used a
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s an analytical framework for positioning any discussion of rural radio as a development communication pathway. Building on rural radio case studies from the world over, the discussion propounds three trajectories encompassing linear-external, shared-bottom up and self-bottom up approaches, which formulate a matrix for understanding the use of rural radio in development." (Abstract)
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"Development Communication in Practice: India and the Millennium Development Goals analyzes seven Indian newspapers for a period of seven months and evaluates the extent to which development issues are addressed in them. The findings reveal an under-representation of development issues in the media
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which, the author argues, needs to be addressed. Reviewing recent concepts on poverty measurement and the MDGs set forth by global scholars such as Jagdish Bhagwati, Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz, the book acknowledges the importance of information technology, literacy and education in the process of development." (Publisher description)
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