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.

Thomas L. McPhail is Professor of Media Studies and a Fellow in the Center for International Studies at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. He serves as a media analyst for many media outlets including AP, NPR/PBS, Financial Post, USA Today, and the New York Times. He is the author of many books, including Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders, and Trends (2e, Wiley-Blackwell, 2006).