Development Journalism

Development journalism has both positive and negative qualities, but in my opinion, this style of journalism does more harm than good. It pays stronger attention to the humanitarian needs of a nation. It helps to promote a national identity, which saves foreign countries from being swallowed by western influences. It also attempts to combat the one way flow of the media from west to east. These are all excellent aspects of development journalism. However, the news media's main goal is to be an objective watch dog. Development journalism emphasizes a bond between the government and the media. In this situation, journalists essentially become a pawn, as they are forced to support goals and projects presented by the government. This unity of media and government, makes it impossible to for a population to adequately analyze the actions of their leaders. Journalists have to keep politician's in check, and report on their actions, both wrong and right. In developmental journalism political actions go unchallenged. Politicians need the watchful eye of the news media upon them.

It's obvious why development journalism is so popular in dictatorships. A politician's word will spark nothing but praise and adoration under this system. If a government tells its people they have to go to war, and the news media reiterates the necessity of war, chances are the population will be ready to hit the battlefield. Here, a citizen has no ability to weigh the reasons for the conflict. They are forced to take the government's word as the truth, and believe war is the only option. This example shows one reason why developmental journalism does a great disservice to a population. Journalists have to analyze and report on government officials to keep their power in check.