Mapping and Measuring Development Journalism

Xu XiaogeNanyang Technological University

Singapore

Development Journalism: Background

• Debut in Asia in the 1960s• Asia, Africa and South America• Facilitating/fostering national development

Development Journalism: Studies

• Explored components of development news• Investigated development news coverage• Discussed conceptual issues, principles or

functions of development journalism

Challenges: Indicator & Typology

• To measure differences:Identify a set of indicators

• To map different principles/practices:Develop an classification

system

Indicators (14)(a) Administrative reforms (b) Agricultural development and food production(c) Economic activity (planning, foreign aid, etc.)(d) Education and literacy (e) Employment and labor welfare (f) Family planning (g) Health, hygiene and medicine (h) Housing (i) Industrial, scientific and technological development(j) Mass media (k) National integration (l) Rural and urban development (m) Social change(n) Telecommunication, tourism and transport development

Vilanilam, J. V. (1975)

Indicators (12)(a) Agriculture/food(b) Consumerism (c) Culture/religion (d) Rural/urban development (e) Education (f) Energy (g) Environment (h) Health (i) Population (j) Science/technology (k) Tourism (l) Women/children/youth

McKay, F.J. (1993)

Indicators (3)

(a) Source(b) Actor(c) Orientation

Xu, X. (2008)

Typologies (2)

(a) Investigative(b) Authoritarian-benevolent

Kunczik, M. 1988

Typologies (5)

(a) Journalists as nation builders(b) Journalists as government partners(c) Journalists as agents of empowerment(d) Journalists as watchdogs(e) Journalists as the guardians of transparency

Romano, A. 2005

Typologies (3)

(a) Pro-process (b) Pro-participation(c) Pro-government

Xu, X. 2008

A Case Study

Manila BulletinThe Jakarta PostPoverty StoriesOne Month

Measuring Indicators

Results

Results

Results

Results

Results

Concluding Remarks

• Limited presence• Some elements of pro-process

but no pro-participationor pro-government

• Factors to be investigated

Future Research

• Longitudinal studies to identify patterns• Compare newspapers, radio, TV, and news

websites to locate differences• Compare community vs. national, non-

mainstream vs. mainstream

Future Research

• Compare different countries where DJ is advocated, promoted and practiced

• Map, measure and model factors shaping differences