DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION: THE FIFTH THEORY OF THE PRESS

The aim of development communication is to reduce poverty, increase employment,

bring about gender equality in all spheres, eradication of diseases, lower child and maternal

mortality rates, increase food production and result in higher educational achievement.

Development, in this case, refers to the social, economic and political benefits which can be

accrued over time and not only in terms of increased food production. Hence the importance of

the integrated rural development approach which involves; economists, sociologists, social

workers, development agents and communicators. The weakness of this integrated approach was

that it overlooked the importance of communities’ participation in the process.

The article has failed to emphasize that communication for development initially focused

on technology transfers, hence the adoption and diffusion process which heralded a new way of

thinking about communication for development. The other factors, which could have contributed

to the general failure of communication for development, was the omission of the participatory

communication strategies. This was worsened by the fact that media practitioners did not have

experience in the use of media with illiterate people and the dissemination sometimes of content

not appropriate for the particular situation.

Although participation was inferred, making everyone participate was a prelude to chaos.

Even substantive collaboration had its limits. The representative participation process seemed to

be more effective. Also, the general failure of communication for development initiatives points

to the fact that structural changes had to take place first. This approach placed emphasis on

production, distribution and intent. Communication for development assumed that Mass Media

was rapid and more efficient in transmitting information.

 Most communication for development rarely succeeded and concluded that the way

programmes were designed, implemented and the political circumstances were sometimes

obstacles to development apart from a lack of relevant information. Communication for

development has an important role to play in the development process. Development

communication was meant to heighten the political consciousness of the peasants and workers,

encourage the collective control of the basic norms of production, mobilise internal resources

rather than borrow and import technology from outside. Development communication, in

countries that adopted this approach, was the responsibility of governments who organised it

around party or political structures.

Lastly, one example of development communication instrument known to everyone is

radio. Radio was chosen as the medium of communication because radio was cheaper to set up

compared to television. Radio reached a wider audience compared to both the print media and

television. Because it built on oral traditions, radio seems to have been widely accepted in

development communication because it is able to stimulate the imagination better than video and

television. However, the disadvantages of radio were that listeners could not ask for repeats and

on its own it was said not to be good enough to teach new skills. Lastly, due to the

underdeveloped infrastructures in most rural areas, most places have no electricity. Batteries or

electricity are generally expensive and therefore not affordable to the common person. However,

because of the high levels of illiteracy in the rural areas, radio was widely used in earlier

communication for development initiatives.

Development communication as a Fifth Theory still needs fine refinements for it be

popularly recognized among journalists. This is true among Third World Countries and the
Philippines where development of technology is at a snail pace. The arguments, however, are

good indicators that development communication is indeed evolving.