UNIT 2 DEVELOPMENT.

COMMUNICATION
Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Concept and Definitions
2.3 Philosophy of Development Communication
2.4 Role of the Media in Development Communication
2.5 Communication Needs and Resources
2.6 Strategies in Development Communication
2.7 Case Studies and Experience
2.7.1 Scavenger Development Programme of Indonesia: Case Study-I
2.7.2 Site Project: Case Study-II
2.8 Let Us Sum Up
2.9 Further Reading
2.10 Check Your Progress: Modei Answers

After going through this unit, you should be able to:

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state what the Development Communication is;

explain the meaning, concept, elements and pt.ilosophy of ~ e v e l o ~ m ei~ommunication;
nt
state the role of the Media in Development;
describe the important approaches to the Development Communication;
m explain the importance of identifying cornrnunicr\tionneeds and resource, and
explain how communication strategies are formulated for devdopment.
In unit-1 of this block, we described to you the various concepts of development, and
distinguished the alternative approaches to the process of development. We also appraised you
about the development experience of the Third World Countries, including India. In this unit,
we shall relate these concepts of development to the process of communication.

In the present unit, we shall discuss the qualities of 'development communication'. We shall
also see how these qualities are being applied in various developmental projects. We shall
evaluate the results and identify the weaknesses of development projects.

And hopefully, once you are well acquainted with the working of communication in the area
of development, you yourself will be able to implement some of the positive aspects of
development communication in your projects, work, etc.
I

2.1 INTRODUCTION
Communication is an important input in developmdt. Communication experts, sociologists,
psychologists and economists agree that the proper use of communication can foster the pace
and process of d e v e l o p m .

In general terms, communication means interaction between two individuals or within a group
or a community or a nation. In this type of communication, the four principle elements are a
communication source, a message, a channel or medium and a receiver or audience. We have
discussed these elements in detail in the first block of Course-I: Introduction to Journalism and
Mass Medla and Development Mass Communication. We described the flow of communication in these' units. But in
development communication it becomes the process of affecting or influencing behaviour of
individuals or groups towards certain desired goals and objectives, necessarily for the benefit
of the entire society. Thus, the receiver is expected to show the behaviour desired by the
source of communication.

Development communication is a relatively younger field of study within the discipline of

communication. Like the science of communication,development communication has come
to stay. However, we should always remember that development communication is only one
of the elements or inputs for speedy progress and development.

Development communication is mainly concerned with the role of information and

communication in social and economic development of an individual, society and nation. It
identifies what mass media can do directly ot indirectly to improve the quality of life to both
urban and ma1 masses.

Activity 1

You must be aware of vatjods yivertisements 'broadcast through the All,In,dia Radio '
(AIR)and telecast by the Doordarshao. In your left hand side column, list all ten
advertisements. In the second column, wtite in short phrases the message of each of
them, in the third column identify the target audienceJgroupfor each advertisement, and
in the fourth column give your opinion as to whether or not they would bring any.
development, if practicod/utilised/adopted.

For example:
Rin soap Cleans clothes Housewives Yes will help
better people to be clean
(1) (2) (3) (4)
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 Development Communication
2.2 CONCEPT AND DEFINITIONS
Let us begin with the definitions and concepts of development communication. We should not
discuss the development, because various facets of development have already been discussed
in Unit 1 of this block. We can only add here that development has moved from Ecoaomk
Approaches to Sociological Approaches, where all round improvement of human beings is
emphasized.

What do we understand by the term "development communication"? According to Nora

Quebral(1975), "development communication is the art and science of human communication
applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a
dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger
fulfillment of the human potential."

Let us discuss the various concepts which Nora Quebral has used in this famous definition of
hers. She said that development communication was the 'art and science'. Generally, we
presume that 'art' and 'science' do not go together. But, as far as this definition is concerned,
they can be together. Development communication is 'art', btcause one has to create his
strategy, and programme to communicate to his target audience. To communicate his message
he will create probab1y.a song, a drama, a talk, a poster, a film or a skit. Nora calls
development communication ' a science', because it follows a process, a system. If one gives
X inputs, Y will be the output. In some cases, one may predict the output with a given input
with other conditions remaining the same. Therefore, when she says that it is the art and
science of human communication, we have to comprehend it from these perspectives.
Development communication is an art and at the same time a science. It works with the human
hearts (because it is an art) and brain (becp:e 3 :s a science) to yield a result which can be
measured in tenns of economical growth. For e x w e , advantages of adopting a high yielding
variety of seed may be propogated through a radio skit. This skit, when understood by the
farmers, motivates them to use the seeds for their own fields. And they may have increased
harvests which will definitely provide them with a higher income.

Rogers (1983) says, "development communication refers to the uses to which communication
is put in order to further development. Such applications are intended to either further
development in a general way, such as by increasing the level of the mass media exposure
among a nation's citizens, in order to create a favourable 'climate' for development, or to
support a specific development programme or project (this type of development
communication is often termed as 'developmeht-support communication' DSC".
Mass Media and ~ e v e ~ i ~ t n e n t Everett M. Rogers, a famous communication scholar, in the above mentioned definitian says
the application of communication for the developmen't will creak an environment or climate.
This climate or environment may be of two types: (a) physical climate and (b) psychological
climate. When knowledge about something is propagated or disseminated among a large
number of people, the users find many relevant things around them, say a special kind of
fertilizer. The radio prograqxiics could be heard, the TV programmes could be seen or posters
could be s e m on the vaFi on that particular fertilizer. This may be cgled physical climate.
,
Now, the disse- message about the feklizcr works on the psyche of the people. The
information tqpM through the various communication media create a favourable attitude
towards the new fertilizer. In the long run, they might use or adopt it, if possible. But,
definitely, resistance from the people in general will be the minimum.
Thus, with these two types of climates, the use of the new fertilizer might be multiplied at a
fast pacespeed. Thus, economic development, as far as earning from of the agricultural
products is concerned, could be quite encouraging.
F. Rosario Braid is of the opinion that development communication is "an element of the
management process in the overall planning and implementation of development programs".
Development communication is, in a broad sense, "the identification and utilization of
appropriate expertise in the developmentprocess that will assist in increasing participating of
intended beneficiaries at the grassroots level." Thus, hvelopment communication is
communication wit. a social conscience.
Rosario Braid emphasizes that development communication is nothing but an element in the
process of a project. Generally, it is the decision of the management to utilise communication
to disseminate information about their project, if and when tiiey feel it appropriate. Suppose a
contraoeptive company would like to market a new contraceptive for the males. The
management might like to usc the radio spots, television spots, hoardings, posters, etc. to
inform the target audience about the usefulness and availability of the new contraceptive. It is
really an important segment in the whole scheme of management at the present time.
A good and.useful management strategy would always identify the important elements and
make the users conscious about them.
Development communication has two primary roles:
a) A tradorming role, as it seeks social change in the direction of the higher quality of
IUe. The higher quality of life can be achieved in various ways. Might be by adopting all the
- required vaccines for the infants of each family of the society, Some countries might adopt
techniques of producing enough food for the citizen. Some countries might systematically and
scientifically break all the myths surrounding various religious and social customs. And
communication could be a marvelous instrument to achieve these objectives.
b) A socializing role, by seeking to maintain some of the established values of the society.
In playing these roles, development communication seeks to create an atmosphere for change
as well as providing innovation through which society may change. Each and every society
has some traditional values. These values give the people of each society an identity and a
sense of belonging. The aspiratiofis of a society sometimes are embeded in these values. Now,
the values, customs and beliefs of other societies might make inroads into other societies. If,
the people are n6t careful, they might be taken off their ground by the new incoming sets of
values. communication can play a very vital role by making the people aware about this pitfall.
It can also help immensely by drawing the attention of the members of a society to the richness
of their own valued, customs, beliefs and, above all, aspirations.
b I

, ( Check Your Progre88 1 I

( Note: i) Use the space below f ~your
r answers.
II
I ii) Cornp& your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
1) "What do you mean by 'development communication'? Answer in thiee sentences.
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 DevelopmentCommenlcation
-7
2) You have came across three definitions of 'development cominunication' given by
three eminent scholars. Please write down the concepts used in their definitions in
the right-hand colutnn. The.corresponding names ,of the authors are given on the
left hand column.
A. Nora C. Quebral Concepts of develo@mentcoqmunication

B. Everett M. Rogers ....................r ... .:.............................................

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2.3 PHILOSOPHY OF DEVELOPMENT

COMMUNICATION
In many ways the philosophy of development communication is different from what we
normally understand by communication. Development communication is: .
purposive
positive
pragmatic

Let US elaborate each of the aspects of development communication: .

Development Communicationis Purposive:You should note here that other communication
scholars hold that communication is and should be 'ethically' non-purposive. A
non-purposive message is one, which is transmitted to a receiver directly or by means of a
channel (e.g., mass media) without any intention to influence the receiver. But, in
development communication, one looks for specific behavioral objectives, such as getting
farmers to go in for a specific variety of seed, pesticide, etc.

Development Communication is Positive:In development communication,positive value is

attached to what one communicateH about. Take the example of the high yielding variety of
seed. Once adopted, the farmers can increase their harvest manifold. This means more income
wGch can be utilised to buy land, cattle or equipments. This is what we mean by positive value
attached to development communication.

Development Communication b Pragmatic: In this context, we might define pragmatic as

practical and purposeful. In development commudcation, the purpose of communication is
important. Let .us assume that we want the farmers to plant a particular rice variety or the .
so-called miracle rice. The judgement or evaluation of communication does not rest on the
mere invention of communication activities performed, such as the number .of the press
releases issued or the number of farm visits made. Findings have showed that mere increase
in thc.flow of information does not necessarily result in those behavioral changes, which are
desired to be achieved.

So, the development communicator is more concernedkith ''What do I want to communicate?

With what objectives?', and "Did I get the intended results?" If so, how well did I
' communjcate?" Language, treatment style, and grammar take the back Fat to clarify the
message and its effectiveness in producing the desired outcome.
Mass Media and Development

Activity 2

Take today's newspaper that you subscribe to or take any newspaper that you can lay
your hands on.

List all the advertisements, and find out whether they are positive or not.
Advertisement Message Positive

...................................................................................... [ I Yes [ I No
...................................................................................... 1 Yes [ I No
....................................................................................... I Yes [ I No
...................................................................................... [ I Yes [ I No
...................................................................................... r ] Y e s [ I N 0
....................................................................................... [ I Yes [ I No
...................................................................................... [ I Yes [ 1 No
...................................................................................... [ ] Y e s [ ] N o

...................................................................................... [ I Yes [ I No
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...................................................................................... [ ] Y e s [ ] N o !

Check Your Progress 2

Nde: i) Use the space below for your answer.
ii) Compare your answer with the one given at the end of this unit

1) You have just read that development communication is purposive, positive and
pragmatic. Using the space,given below, please explain in your own words what
do you mean ,by each of them?

Purposive .........................:...........................................................................................
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Positive........................................................................................................................
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Pragmatic.....................................................................................................................
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iii) Teach those ideas, skills and atfitudes that people need to achieve for a better life.
iv) Create and maintain a base of consensus that is needed for the stability of the state.

You must be knowing the meaning of 'empathy'. Daniel Lerner used this term with a
particular emphasis on the aspirations for a new identity. Suppose, you have a goal of building
a decent house so that you can live with the minimum hassels. You dream about it, you aspire
for it. We can say that you empathize with it. Here, Lerner said that people of any given
society must think and aspire for a better life. If they do so, then they are emphathetic about a
better life.

To perform these roles, the media keeps the development orientation in its perspective. Three
approaches have been identified in relating communication to development. These are
empathy, diffusion, and multiplying of information. We shall discuss each separately,
individually.

1 ) Empathy: Daniel Lerner (1958) in his book, Passing d Traditional Society, saw the
problem of 'modernizing' traditional societies. He saw the spread of literacy resulting from
urbanization as a necessary precondition to more complete modernization that would include
participatory political institutions. Development was largely a matter of increasing
productivity. And to increase this productivity one must aspire, and it must begin in thepsyche
of the people. Hence, it is basically "psychological".
Urbanization literacy ---+ economic and political participation 4
the mass media exposure

According to D. Lerner, development failed to because peasants were unable to

'empathise' or imaginatively identify with the new role, and a changed and better way of life
and so remained fatalistic - unambitious and resistant to change. Every change in society
must originate and begin in the hearts of the pkople. If the people would like to change, only
then the development would begin. What is required is that some means of providing such
people with clues as to what better things in life might be. Lerner saw the media as filling this
need of prqmoting interest among the people for a better life. Not only that, he saw the media
as machines, inspiring people for better things'in life. He said 'empathy' endows a person with
the capacity to imagine himself as proprietor of a big grockry store in a city, to wear nice cloths
and live in a nice house, to be interested in "what is going on in the world" and to "get out of
his hole."

He pointed out to the correlation between economic productivity and the media provisions in
different countries in support of his theory. The richest country had the most newspapers, the
radios and so on, and the poorest, the least.

2) Diffusion: Everett M. Rogers (1983) approached this with a perspective that had much in
common with Lerner, but differed with him somewhat in emphasis. He saw the diffusion of
the new ideas and their practice as a crucial component of the modernization process.
According to him, "the mass communication influence appears to operate by a 'two step flow'
process through awareness of the mass media, development of favourable attitudes and
adaptation by inter-personal channels, particularly, "opinion leaders".

We shall discuss this a little more. It has been found that when a message is propagated, a
segment of the population adopts it, and develops a positive attitude towards it. This can
happen in the case of a product, fertilizer, seeds, ideas, journals, etc. Then, the people who
adopt first, directly or indirectly shape the positive attitude of others who remain indifferent to
the message. This is true in places where information and literacy levels are low. Simple
people would like to get confirmation from the people living in their proximity.

You can think about this process in your daily, life. How many times you need information
about a product, a book, or about an incident from your friends, classmates, office-mates,
neighbours and others. Women, especially, need a lot of confirmation from others before they
adopt something. We can go on citing examples.

3) Magic Multiplier: Wilbur Schramm's (1964) Mass Media and National Development,
which was produced for the UNESCO, became almost a blueprint for development
communication. While Lerner and others saw all of the media cutput as having potentially
Mnrur Medh end Development modernizing effects, for Schrarnm it was their content that was the key to their use in
development. "Social change of great magnitude is required. To achieve it, people must be
informed, persuaded, educated. Information must flow, eot only to them but also from them,
so that their needs can be known, and they might participate in the acts and decisions of the
nation-building; and infc\r:llationmust also flow vertically so that decisions may be made.
Works should be organized, and skills should be learned at all levels of society for better
utilization of the resources of society. Here is where the mass communication enters the
calculus - the required amount of information and learning is so vast that only by making
effectiveuse of the great information multipliers, the mass media, can the developing countries , .
hope to provide information at the rates their time tables for development demand".

Let us elaboratea little. Schramm has very clearly mentioned that a lot of feedback is required
when one uses communication for development. It should never be one-way traffic. The users
should be able to give feedback to the implementors. This would help the implementors to find
out whether or not the communication is meeting their purpose or aim.

Schramm has also said that each person could have information required by the work that he
would undertake. And there might be thousands and lacs of workers requiring various
information. The conventional channels of communication would never be able to meet this
demand. Therefore, modem comnpnication technologies would be of great use to meet this
demand by multiplying the messages and reaching each and every worker.

Check Your Progress 3

Note: i) Use the space below for your answers.
ii) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.

In the previous section you have learnt how Daniel Lemer, Everett Rogers and Wilbur
Schramm saw the role of the media in development activities. Please mention the major
ideas thab have been expounded by these great authors.

Authors Ideas on the role bf the media in

communication
1) Daniel h e r 3
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2) Everett M., Rogers .............................................................
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3) Wilbur Schramm .............................................................
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2.5 COMMUNICATION NEEDS AND RESOURCES

So far, we have discussed the positive role of communication, and have seen how the
communication inputs work to make a developmental programme sc-c 1. But how does
1

one go about formulating the communication strategy or the inputs reqcu,. :or a programme?
In planning communication strategy for development, the most important element is
identification of communication needs and resources. Unless one is careful about this, or if
one overlooks this elements, communication strategy and plan will not be effective, and all
efforts will go in- vain. It is necessary to assess carefully the communication needs of the
community and the counuy. To identify communication needs and resources of a country, the
following process has been suggested by the UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific,
and Cultur;? Organisation):
UNESCO Guidelines Development Communication

The collection of basic data and systematic ahalysis of the country upon such bases as
population densities, geographic limitations to communication, variety of social structures,
ecology and agriculture transportation, physical communication, mobility of population,
electrification, industrial capacity, manpower capacity, etc.
The production of an inventory of the present communication resources, including the
modem and traditional media, and analysis of the variety of present communication
structures. Such an inventory should also include the study of the audience, its
communication consumption patterns, etc.
Critical analysis of the present communication politics (or lack of the same), including such
considerations as ownership, structures,decision-making, etc.
Critical analysis of the communication needs of each soCiety, especially, inrelation to the
existing social and communication structures, and the uses to which communication is put.

Analysis of the communication components in all aspects of the national development plans
and programs in order to ascertain the communication requirements of the programs, and the
.communicationcapacity which is essential to the execution of the plan. These needs must then
be reconciled with the means and capacities that are available.

A similar process may be followed to identify the communication needs and resources at the
institutional or project level or whereverdevelopment activities are in progress.

Check Your Progress 4

Note: i) Use the space below for your answers.
,- ii) Compare your answers with those given at the end of this unit.
A) ' Suppose the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is very concerned about the
problem of safe drinking water in the district of Kamrup in Assam. Water'is
available, but it is not safe. People in the district are suffering from various water
borne diseases. You have been asked to assess (a) the communication needs and
(b) communication resources of the district. Taking the UNESCO guidelines into
consideration, please mention the steps you would undqiake to complete your
assignment.

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B) Please make a flow-chart of the logical steps, which you have mentioned in "A". ,
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Mass Media and Develcpmer:
2.6 STRATEGIES IN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATI ON
A strategy is the cmful formulation of plans towards aclie$ng a goal. Since development
communication is goal oriented, one has to be careful in planning communication strategies.
There may be a number of communication strategies for the achievement of a particular
communication goal. There is a need to analyse these very carefully.

Since these strategies are formulated in the context of the developing countries, one should
give keen consideration to cost-benefit factors before selecting the right strategy. In the
modern world, there are number of new technologies, media and techniques, which are
available to a communication strategy planner. One has to evaluate these alternativesavailabk
to him, using cost-benefit analysis and administrative feasibility. Always, one has to keep in
mind the target audience.

One should be fully satisfied in answering these questions:

Who are the target audiences?
What channels are the audiences familiar with?
a What should be the language and content of the message?
What are the barriers to the free flow of communication?

Check Your Progress 5

Note: i) Use the space below for your answer.
ii) Compare your answer with those given at the end of this unit.

Write below the ten most important points, which' are. crucial in preparing a
communication strategy for development.
1) .....................................................................................................................................
2) .....................................................................................................................................
3) .............................................................................................. .:.. ...................................
4) ...........:.....................................:...................................................................................
5) .....................................................................................................................................
6) ..........................................................................................................i.. ........................
7) .........................................................................................
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8) ....................................................................................................................................
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 Development Conyuniestion
2.7 CASE STUDIES AND EXPERIENCE
So far, we have discussed various aspects of development communication. We have read the
definitions of development communication by various authors. We have studied the
philosophy of development communication. It is purposive, positive and pragmatic. Then we
discussed the emphasis on development communication given by Daniel Lerner, Everett
Rogers and Wilbur Schramm.

Communication is a vital element in the whole strategy of development in the Third World
countries. The UNESCO has already spelt out the various steps one must take while planning
communication strategies for development projects. So f a so good. Now, we shall discuss
some case studies, which will give you the experience of implementing development
communication. So, experience the reality.

2.7.1 Scavenger Development Programme of Iadonesia: Case Study-I

"Scavenger Development Programme" of Indonesia maRes a good case study to illustrate the
point that carefully-planned communication strategy can contribute to the development of man
and society. This case study is of high relevance under Indian conditions, given the crucial role
played by social and economic status factors impinging on the development process.

"Rivers and canals clogged by plastic bags, smouldering piles of garbage on the streets and
unofficial dump sites in vacant compounds are a common sight in many developing countries.
In Indonesia, major cities suffer from water and air pollution caused by 'wild' dumping and
burning of waste. There is a group of people counteracting this disaster,, drive not by
ecological consciousness but by dire straits-scavengers.

The position of these rural migrants in the informal urban sector is controversial as they are
regarded as criminals, tramps, or even untouchables by officials and the public. However, the
scavengers serve important functions. Environmentally, they shoulder part of the ecological
costs of development through recycling waste. As they are selfemployed, the state saves the
economic costs of social security payments. And the raw material from recycled waste turns
to gold for the formal economy as it has a yearly value of US $50 million in Jakarta alone.

The scavenger's problems lie in their insecure legal and social status. Together with a lack of
overt productivity and economic dependency, they are easy targets for harassment, eviction,
corruption and exploitation from middlemen, the private sector and local authorities. And the
scavengers have, traditionally, been denied access to local decision-making,loans, education,
public services and the media -their contributions left unrecognized.

But then, their plight is to be communicated to the other groups of society. They are there in
the streets of D'Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, etc. And it is communication, which is bringing
a change in their lives and an awareness about their existence in society. We shall discuss it

An Integrated Media Approach

Some people did recognize the needs and contributions of the scavengers. However, the
"Scavenger Development Program", financed by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur technichi
Zusamrnenarbiet (GTZ) and supported by the Indonesian Home Affairs Department, has been
in operation since mid-1991. Implemented by the NGOs in three major cities, Jakarta,
Bandung, and Surabaya, the programme uses an integrated media approach to promote the
welfare of the scavengers, foster their s&ial and communication competence, and highten
awareness about the waste management, recycling and the plight of the scavenger. The
integrated media approach plans to affect change at various political, economic and social

lobbying for policy changes to improve their legal status;

improving their public image and social status;
increasing their productivity and the value - added of recycled products through
increasing bargaining power;
Mass Media and Development enhancing their participation in local decision-making;
developing appropriate technology within the context of an Urban Integrated Resource
Recovery System; and
educating the public about the.environment.

The strategy chosen aims to be not 'about' or 'for' the scavengers, but 'with' and 'by' them.
The process of change is designed to occur, internally, within the scavenger population by
increasing their self-confidence and ability to command respect and resources, and externally
within the broader urban population by communicating with people about the lives, hardships
and contribution of this scavenger community.

Street Theatre of the Scavenger: Theatre can, at any time, at any place, and almost at any
cost, be staged once the principal technique and concepts have been acquired. When linked to
the development activity at the local level, the power of the performance increases
dramatically. Looking closely at this example, the scavengers' structural poverty was
connected to a lack of bargaining power, that is, a lack of the abilityto articulate the key factors
of the daily life needed for active participation in the social, political and economic sphere.
The scavengers live in a 'culture of silence' - they have learned from experience that it is
safer to keep one's mouth shut as long as housewives,policemen, shop owners or city officials
are powerful, and regard them as outlaws. However, when their own views are translated into
a medium, like the theatre, that is informative and entertaining to the public at the same time,
communication works. Given this chance, the scavengers are able to communicate with
people who otherwise would not even take notice of them. The training necessary to achieve
this communicative competence is organized by the community media activities from a local
NGO.

The storyline not only concentrates on problems, but also on solutions suggested and assistance
needed by the scavenger groups. The scavengers do the research for the scripts on their own.
Their own life stories, humor and word games, local idioms and other forms of interaction
become outlets for criticism and eye-opening insights in a form socially acceptable to an
audienceof the neighbours and local officials from the communities where the scavengers live
and work. Often, theatre performances become a starter for a more continuous dialogue.
Always, the performance increases awareness.

Exposure Programmes for Journalists:The radio and press journalists from major regions
are then invited for oneday workshops, where 'hard facts' on thC scavengers are covered.
Afterwards, the journalists are exposed to the real life and the dump shacks, waste processing
workshops, and self-initiated scavenger cooperatives and schools. Very often, first-hand
experience and discussions with scavengers result in more positive articles and features about
their role in society and their environmental contribution.

Political Diiogue: Also on the regional level, exposure programmes, seminars and political
dialogue are held with officials, private businesses, and donors - partially using the media
produced in cooperation with them -so the scavengers can lobby for a better legal, economic,
and social status.

National TV Series: On the national level, a series of 13 episodes on the scavengers living
conditions and their ecological and economic contribution to society will be broadcast on the
New Educational Channel ('IF!). The programmes are produced by the same NGO that does
the theatre training. The scavengers participate in script writing, directing and acting which
results in an unusually authentic series. The partly documentary, partly dramatized episodes
also show the considerable gains by the scavengers in their newly established competency and
cross cultural communication skills. At the same time, the commentatorsin the series suggest
ways to help the scavengers recycle waste for ecological and economic reasons.

Through the ~ntegratedmedia project, the scavengers have gained bargaining power in their
living situations and at their jobs. The communication process, the mediating NGOs support
provides this non-privileged group with access to small and large media and to decision
making institutions in the political and economic sphere. Evident through increased
recognition outside their own communities, the scavengers have gained self-esteem and
confidence in themselves, competence in formulating their problems and needs, and
ultimately, respect and rights from other groups of society. The public is also benefiting from
the project. Whereas the public had perceived the scavengess to be intellectually crippled. Development Communldon
now, two daily newspapers in Surabaya and Jakarta and a radio station in Bandung have begun'
regular columns or programmes to recognize the complexity of the informal sector. The
success belongs to the use of the media delivery system. Not used as an exercise of power and
persuasion with the scavengers as passive targets, the informative, educative and entertaining
capacity of the media could not just give people a voice, but work for everyone to make it heard
and understood. (Development Communication Report, No. 76,199U1)

Activity 3

This Indonesian project is very interesting. In India too, we have a large number of '
rag-pickers. Suppose, the United Nations approaches you and asks you to plan a
communication strategy for the rag-pickers of the city of Bombay.
How will you plan?
What steps will you take to complete your assignment?

2.7.2 Site Project: Case Study-I1

India's biggest experience in using t$e mass media for the purpose of development was the
Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) of 1975-76. This one year project was
primarily undertaken to telecast special developmental programmes through the satellite
communication tosix rural clusters, which included a total of 2330 villages, scattered in 20
districts, spread over six states - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Gujarat. Its objectives were to:
improve the rural primary school educ.ation, .
provide training to the teachers,
improve agriculture, health and hygine, and nutritional practice, and
contribute to family planning a d national integration

After the completion of the project evaluation studies, the results showed that exposure-to
developmental messages through the television had contributed for the widening of horizons
of the villagers.

SITE is one of the biggest and technologically most advanced social experiments in the direct
broadcasting for education and development. It is also one of the largest Indo-US experiments
in communication conducted so far. In this project, the experimenters main objective,was to
provide instantaneous information for national development to those who otherwise would
have been deprived of such info~mationfor many years to come due to technological
constraints.

2.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit, we have discussed various definition of development communication. We have
differentiated between c o ~ u n i c a t i o nand 'development communication'. Nora Quebral
says that development communication is the art andscience of human communication, Rogers
is of the opinion that it creates a favourable climate for a developmental pro~ect,and Rosario
Braid says that it is an element in the management strategy of a development project. '

Then we have discussed the philosophy of development communication. And we came across
with three major aspects of the philosophy. Development communication is purposive, '
positive and pragmatic.

A natural flow from the philosophy of development communica~ofiis ~ C Ithe role of the media
in it. Daniel Lemer is of the opinion that the media would create an empathy among the
audience, which would definitely help the projects to achieve the set goals. Rogers says that.
the media helps in speeding the information among the masses. But this is done id steps. He
says that the diffusion of innovative messages requires opinion leaders who, in turn, influence
the users and communicatethe positive points of the said materials. Wilbur Schramm sees-the
role of the media in development communication as a 'magic multiplier'.
Mass Media and The UNESCO has set some guidelines for using communication in development projects. We
have discussed these guidelines. We have learnt to use various strategies
-
of communication
after assessing the media habits of the audiences.

Towards the ends, we have seen how development communication was applied in projects like
that of Indonesia and India The scavengers of Indonesia made their presence felt in Indonesia.
They communicated their messages through theatre and forced some newspapers and radio
stations to start a new column on them. The beauty of the communication strategy was that it
was fully done by the scavengers themselves.

2.9 FURTHER READING

-- - - - - -
1
1
Singhal, h i n d and Rogers, Everett M. 1989: India's Information Revolution sage, New 1
Delhi.
Rogers, Everett M. 1983: Diffusion of Innovations The Free Press, New York.
Melkote, Srinivas R. 1991: Communication for Development in the Third World; Theory and
Practice, Sage, New Delhi.

2.10 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: MODEL ANSWERS i

Check Your Progress &
f
\
1) Development communication is a segment of the discipline of communication. It
is applied in developmental projects to help the users attain the desired result. The
development communication is purposeful and uses all the skills available in the
audio visual and print media.
2) A) It is an art and a science. It is applied for economic growth with a view to
bring social equality and help persons develop their f d potential.
B) It creates a favourable climate for the developmental projects, and it
provides support to a specific programme in a specific way.
C) It is an element in the management process of a project. It desires to provide
benefit at the grassroots level.

Purposive : Development communication has an objective(s). In the

process of the implementation of the project, the
communication inputs play a vital role for the project to
achieve its goal(s).
Positive : Development communication shows the positive aspects or
the plus points of a project. It creates a hopeful milieu, both
physical and psychological, for a project to succeed.
Pragmatic : Development communication does not hide behind the
numbers of press releases, programme broadcasts, videos
telecast, posters made, etc. It likes to quantify and qualify
the real change at the grassroot level.

1) Daniel Lerner People should be informed, educated and motivated to aspire

for better E&. Once they are motivated, the modernization
i
process would automatically start.
2) Everett M. Rogers The mass media could be of great help to disseminate
information among the users. He proposes a two step flow of
information: The media to the opinion leaders to the users.
3) Wilbur Schramm Schramm says that the media should multiply all the '
developmental messages so that a large number of people
could be reached. He talks about horizontal and vertical
fee$back mechanism through the media.
Check Your Progress 4 Development Communication

Communication Needs
1) Identify the water sources
2) Identify the sources of contamination
3) Identify the diseases caused by drinking unsafe water
4) Preventive measures to be undertaken
5) Measures to be undertaken to cure people of the diseases

Communication Resources
1) Availability of Health centres/Hospital etc.
2) Number of educational institution/schools/colleges
3) Percentage of literacy
4) Spread of the radio
5) ~ ~ e ofa the
d televisionlnewspaper

once these needs and resources are identified,proper action should be taken to match the
needs with the available resources.

Che* Your Progress 4

Contamina- unsafe Water

t
Production of
Materials to
answer the

Newspaper Institutions1
Schools/ Hospitals

Check Your Progress 5

1) Formulate clearly the aim(s) of the project
2) Identify the target audience
3) Identify the communication needs of the audience
4) Identify the communication resources of the target audience
5) Determine the literacy rate
6) Identify the way(s) to answer &e needs with the available resources
7) Prepare the mateiials required for various ways of answering the problems (needs)
8) Identify the resource persons to prepare the materials
9) Actual preparation of the materials
-.
10) Implement the materials