Module 11. DevCom Practice Objective

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Objectives

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

  1. describe the five areas of development communication practice; and
  2. discuss the traits of a development communication practitioner.

ACTIVITY 11

Read Chapter 11 of your text.

Read “The Role of Education in Rural Development” by Philip Coombs in your Additional Readings (p.53).

Which area of development communication practice would you like to specialize in? Why?

ANSWER:

The area of development communication that I aspire to practice and specialize in is Community/Development Broadcasting. This choice is deeply rooted in my role as a Communications Officer in an international NGO, particularly my involvement in a child-focused initiative in Cotabato City and Marawi City. This also integrates my past experiences as a TV Program Researcher for the prominent News-Magazine Program, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS), with my current focus on development initiatives.

In my previous role as a TV Program Researcher, I honed my skills in storytelling and effectively leveraged broadcast media for developmental purposes. This specialization provides a meaningful platform for me to continue utilizing impactful storytelling techniques, enabling me to shed light on the harsh realities faced by communities grappling with issues such as hunger, violence, climate challenges, and poverty. It empowers me to effectively communicate these complexities, fostering understanding and empathy among my audience.

With my current position as a Comms Officer, specializing in community broadcasting allows me to bridge local issues with global advocacy. My work can serve as a powerful tool to advocate for the rights of children in fragile areas on a larger scale, potentially attracting more support and resources. Participatory broadcasting, with its three-fold mission (to educate, inform, and entertain) promotes understanding among different segments of society by allowing greater and more meaningful participation.

I now live and work in a fragile and complex community. Some days are really hard. Even my parents and friends are asking me why I am pursuing this craft that I travel to dangerous places. The effects of hunger, violence, climate challenges, and poverty are devastating. Sometimes, capturing communities’ struggles is difficult, even shocking. There are times that even I am shocked and this is my home. However, amidst these challenges, I see the power of hope. It is a sentiment challenging to capture in a photo or video, showcasing how small gestures can be life-changing.

I remember producing a story about a 16-year-old Grade 8 student from Cotabato City amplifies the impact of our work. This young girl faced more hardships than any should endure. Losing her father in a conflict-related ambush in Cotabato, with her mother remarrying and no current contact, she now lives with her grandmother and younger sibling.When I asked her why she struggled going to school and participating classes, she responded by saying, “Life is difficult for us here. Because sometimes we can barely have enough to eat in a day. That’s why sometimes my younger sister and I sell bananas. We earn around 300 pesos, and we use it for our daily school expenses.”

It is truly disheartening to come across stories where young children are compelled to work to support their families instead of being able to concentrate on their education.

Despite her difficult circumstances, she remains determined to turn her dreams into reality. After featuring her story, donations and help poured in, allowing for greater and more meaningful participation in addressing the challenges faced by children like her. Her grandmother was also given a livelihood, so she would focus on her studies. She is now one of the 353 learners receiving remedial support through our project and her school’s educational programs.

This girl’s dream is to become a teacher and impart knowledge to young children. She shared, “I am determined to finish my studies because I want to become a teacher. I also want to help children who are similar to me and come from disadvantaged backgrounds.”

I had goosebumps after hearing her say these. All my doubts about devcom faded. Her determination and resilience is a reminder that no matter how difficult our circumstances may be, we can always find a way to overcome them and create a better future for ourselves and those around us. 

MODULE 11 NOTES:

DevCom Areas of Practice

1. Community communication utilizes interpersonal communication and community media to facilitate community decision-making, problem-solving, conflict resolution, interest articulation, advocacy, and social mobilization. It is characterized by high levels of participation, involving the community in planning, producing, and evaluating messages. Essentially, community communication is grassroots communication – of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Frances J. Berrigan outlines the following characteristics of community media:

  • Owned and controlled by the people in the community.
  • Usually smaller and low-cost media.
  • Provides interactive two-way communication.
  • Non-profit and autonomous, therefore non-commercial.
  • Limited coverage or reach.
  • Utilizes appropriate, indigenous materials as resources.
  • Reflects community needs and interests.
  • One-third of its programs or content supports community development.

Examples of community media include community newspapers, community radio, balagtasan, folk drama, and songs. The community can participate as planners, producers, or performers. The key concerns within this domain encompass facilitative and interpersonal communication, social mobilization and advocacy, indigenous communication, extension communication, and gender issues in communication.

2. Community/Development Broadcasting practitioners leverage radio and television for developmental purposes. They meticulously plan, write, and produce programs in various formats (such as news, magazine, or drama) to address the information needs and challenges faced by their audience. These professionals exhibit creativity in utilizing voice, music, and sound effects to effectively deliver developmental messages.

While it may seem that their tasks overlap with those of regular broadcasters, community/development broadcasters possess distinctive characteristics that set them apart within the industry.

The term “community” underscores the focus of this domain on local radio or TV stations. Dion (1967), as cited by Gomez (1975), explains that people prefer to tune in to stations that provide local news relevant to their concerns, programs aiding them in addressing problems (be they economic or otherwise), and opportunities for active participation.

The pivotal concept in community/development broadcasting is participation. Gomez (1975) asserts that achieving this requires substantial effort from the broadcast organization or agency. She outlines three recommended courses of action for participatory broadcasting.

First, include as part of broadcasting’s three-fold mission (to educate, inform, and entertain) a fourth mission: to promote understanding among the different segments of society by allowing greater and more meaningful participation.

Two, adopt a more educational approach to programming by instituting programs that allow participation such as schools-on-the-air or radio forums. 

Three, provide channels of consultation where the broadcasting organization collaborates or coordinates with government, NGOs, or other institutions to facilitate their involvement. 

3. Development Journalism 

A development journalist: 

1. writes and edits developmental news for print media, 2. manages the production of community newspapers, or 3. prepares extension publications 

When we talk about development journalists, we refer to dev corn practitioners who are skilled in reporting and presenting news and issues through the use of the print media. Although in the media industry, journalism refers to news and information presented in print, broadcast, and film, we will just limit our discussion to how we at UPLB College of Development Communication opera-tionalize dev journ. 

The development journalist’s tasks go beyond conventional report-ing or informing the public. The development journalist’s writing job is not limited to regular beats like politics and crime. He writes about economics, population, health, nutrition, environment, agri-culture, and other development topics. But, the content of news is just one aspect of his work. The other side of development jour-nalism is participatory reporting. Thus, development journalism seeks to involve as many members of society specially those who have limited access to the media—in getting developmental news out.