Development Communication: Reframing the Role of the Media

Development communication is the process of intervening in a systematic or strategic manner with either media (print, radio, telephony, video, and the Internet) or education (training, literacy, schooling) in order to promote positive social change. In Development Communication top media scholars explore the details of communication in areas where modernization has failed to deliver change. This core text gives a complete introduction to the history of development communication, major approaches and theories, the role of NGOs and foundations, feminism digital-divide, and the paradigm shift currently underway. The reframing stresses the power of grass-roots movements and “bottom-up” approaches that challenge the status quo and “top-down” focus of previous approaches.