Transcript Development journalism

Development
journalism
JMS3 JDD 2006
Development journalism in Africa


Domatob and Hall
Development journalism – premise that journalists
should recognise:
 Reality
of underdevelopment;
 Development as a valid goal.

Play a journalistic role in development. Two foci:
 Counteracting
the dependency relationship of
colonialism;
 Promoting supercession of the traditional, tribal-based
societies by institution of the new nation state.

Expectations of development journalism:
 Pan-Africanism
– media as a revolutionary tool of African
liberation from colonialism and imperialism
 Media as extension of government policies of social,
economic and cultural development.


Neo-colonial reality of Africa – inequality,
dependence
Emerging African states need information and help
in building their own internal communications –
instead they get political propaganda or
commercialised entertainment.

Development journalism means, above all, nationbuilding:
 Creation
of national consciousness and unity;
 Encouragement of co-operation and peaceful coexistence between diverse and sometimes hostile
communities.

African journalists must:
 Awaken
citizens to the new cultural imagery of
patriotism, nationhood, inculcate viable degree of ‘we
feeling’, cohesion across tribal, racial, regional, religious,
and linguistic loyalties;
 Force them to accept the inescapable destiny of the
modern.




Government intend to use the media to contribute
to national development goals, inform citizens of
relevant governmental policies, introduce national
leaders, foster political stability, promote national
integration and educate.
Journalism as one of the mobilising agents in
underdeveloped societies.
But, “co-operation” between government and
media becomes a permanent (stifling) embrace.
Development journalism soon denounced by
African journalists who saw the corruptions of
objective and professional journalism which
emerged in its name.



1950s/60s: Economists and communication
theorists argued that imported radio, TV, and
foreign owned press were all part of a
modernisation process – transfer of capital goods,
technologies
Diffusion of knowledge, innovations and guidance
in improving agriculture supposed to diffuse from
mass media through the interpersonal channels of
society to villagers and farmers
Key problem of state control – efficient
implementation of developmental journalism calls
for a highly controlled government press,




African nations deny press freedom, bar free
elections, individual rights and an independent
judiciary
Justified on the grounds that the machinery of
government is so frail that the constant winds of
change generated by a free press would make
political and social integration impossible.
Slow rate of economic growth does not lend itself
to political contentment.
Government control rationalised…
Galtung: A new paradigm
Johan Galtung: The Media Worldwide: Wellbeing and Development
 See journalism about development and
democracy as “drama”.
 Concept of exploitation is key (dependency
theory)…
 NOT just “I am poor and you are rich”, but “I
am poor because you are rich – you are rich
because I am poor”






Galtung’s critique of the “mainstream”: Surface
treatment – no deeper connections. This makes it
more palatable but also less dramatic and less
honest/ true.
Galtung’s critique of the “left”: Underlying text
(master narrative) is always the same: imperialism,
exploitation and other “leftist” themes.
There are seldom people in development
journalism, just issues, problems in large
aggregates and depersonalised structures.
What about subject-verb-object situations?
And what of the object-turning-subject (the weak
actor standing up against structure, projecting
drama and hope)?
Development-oriented journalism:


Is development made concrete, in terms of
concrete human beings? Eg. Basic needs approach
– need for survival, for “well-being” (food, shelter,
health, education), but also for identity and for
freedom. Need to turn from objects/victims with
“needs and deficits” to subjects/actors creating
sustainable livelihoods.
Does it convey new paradigm(s) of ‘development’
(eg. sustainable development)? Developmental
limits are defined by ecological balance.



Needs categories: Survival (military power), Wellbeing (economic power), Identity (cultural power),
Participation (political power).
Don’t restrict discussion to well-being (economic)
only. Humans do not live from bread alone.
Different types/ shapes of bread have deep
cultural, religious significance. What are people’s
inner agendas? “What is the meaning of life? Is life
worth living?”
Economic growth data not enough. Averages lie.
(Upward movement might conceal stagnation for
the majority and an improvement for, say, the
upper 10%.)



Focus on relations not just differences (between
and within countries). Eg. Why do rich countries call
for free trade, but protect their own industries?
Framing the problem? (Perhaps the problem is not
“poverty”, but how old-style development creates
poverty out of sight of the wealthy 20% who
consume 70-80% of the world’s resources).
Focus on the totality of life situations. (E.g. Using 5
families in a documentary to represent the world.
“The programme devoted enough time on a family
from each layer to make it possible for the viewer
to identify, to understand fully, the drama of that
family’s problems and come up with possible
solutions.”)



Report development not in terms of problems but
in terms of positive programmes. A “how-to”
manual (information, education). Success stories,
advocacy by example - optimism.
Let the people talk. Media focus too much on
popular opinion and not enough on the hoard of
popular knowledge (indigenous knowledge
systems). Media assume knowledge lies with
experts and that input from people can only be
pure opinion. Let the story promote participation in
finding solutions that are in accordance with
sustainable development.
What sources are used in the story? Canvas many
views – the people who experience the issue,
NGOs, state agencies.


Let people run the media. E.g. Letters, but go
further. People could contribute articles, volunteer
knowledge, experience and expertise.
Let people run society! Let people enjoy true
participation and report what happens. Report on
what popular movements are doing… or help
enrich public life itself (public journalism,
community media).
A checklist:
 Does
the story challenge power, puffery and
extravagant claims, and does it avoid jargon and
“government speak”?
 Is there evidence of robust and thorough and
independent investigation?
 Does the journalist avoid getting drawn into
organisational agendas, conflicts, etc?
 Does the journalism promote rights of
citizenship (including global citizenship)?