"The history of development communication in media studies is marked by conceptual struggles and complexities that have advanced both theory and practice while leaving a number of conflicts unresolved. These struggles and complexities are not unique to development communication but parallel similar ... issues in the larger field of media studies, as well. Early modernization theories followed by the Latin American critique and subsequent rise of participatory communication reflect many of the same concerns that emerged from the effects tradition challenged by critical theorists and leading to both political economic and cultural studies orientations. Issues regarding individual–psychological versus cultural–contextual orientations, quantitative versus qualitative methods, and value-free versus power-laden positions have marked the conceptual advancements of both development communication and media studies. Moreover, criticisms of linear, transmission models of communication have created greater sensitivity to process, meaning centered conceptualizations of the relationship between media and society. While these struggles and contributions have reshaped communication methods, theories, and practices, the future direction of research continues to be debated." (Pages 65-66) more

"Reporteros populares (people's reporters) have emerged in a number of Latin Amer ican countries as a fruitful means of incorporating grass-roots participation into media devel opment practices. Scholars have documented and described a number of people's reporters projects, yet few have explained ho ... w participation is constructed and enacted in any theoret ically systematic way. This article reviews the limited work on people's reporters from Latin America, proposes a theoretical template for systematically analyzing participatory practice, and applies the template to data collected in the Bolivian highlands in 1993. Data for this study were collected using ethnographic field methods over a five-week period at Radio Pío XII in Bolivia. Recommendations are included for development practitioners interested in incorporating participatory aspects into their media projects." (Abstract) more