Today there is a general realization that development involves not simply transfer of technology but also the communication of ideas, knowledge, and skills. Media and communication can play a great role in helping the masses to break free of their stupefying bonds of traditionalism. Conceptualization of communication as a dynamic support to development projects and activities has been known as Development Support Communication (DSC). A DSC specialist has the job of bridging the communication gap between technical specialists with expertise in specific areas of knowledge – health, agriculture, public transport – and the users who are in need of such knowledge and its specific applications to increase productivity, improve their health, and to improve performance. This contribution would like to study the DSC role of three media outlets in India - India Today, NDTV, and The Hindu. The study would seek to find out whether these media outlets facilitates in including the voices and views of those most affected by developmental issues – usually the poorest and most marginalized people in society.
Table of Contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- 1. Sustainable Development
- 2. The Indian media
- 2.1 First Phase: 1947 to 1977
- 2.2 Second Phase 1977–1999
- 2.3 Third Phase 2000-2006
- 2.4 Fourth Phase 2007-2012
- 2.5 Fifth Phase from 2013
- 3. Development Journalism
- 4. Objectives of study
- 5. Theoretical Framework
- 6. Methodology
- 6.1 The Three Indian Media outlets
- 7. Analysis
- 8. Findings
- Conclusion
- References
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper aims to study the crucial role of three prominent Indian media outlets—The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV—in actively promoting sustainable development through their reporting. The central research question explores whether these media outlets effectively perform an educative function by presenting stories on sustainable development, thereby including the voices and views of those most affected by developmental issues.
- Role of media in fostering sustainable development.
- Analysis of Development Support Communication (DSC) by Indian media.
- Historical phases of Indian media's engagement with social issues.
- Identification of specific dimensions of sustainable development covered by media.
- Assessment of media's educative function regarding environmental issues.
- Comparative study of coverage by The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV.
Excerpt from the Book
Furthering Sustainable Development - The Role of Three Indian Media Outlets: The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV
Today there is a general realization that development involves not simply transfer of technology but also the communication of ideas, knowledge, and skills. Media and communication can play a great role in helping the masses to break free of their stupefying bonds of traditionalism. Conceptualization of communication as a dynamic support to development projects and activities has been known as Development Support Communication (DSC). A DSC specialist has the job of bridging the communication gap between technical specialists with expertise in specific areas of knowledge – health, agriculture, public transport – and the users who are in need of such knowledge and its specific applications to increase productivity, improve their health, and to improve performance. This contribution would like to study the DSC role of three media outlets in India - India Today, NDTV, and The Hindu. The study would seek to find out whether these media outlets facilitates in including the voices and views of those most affected by developmental issues – usually the poorest and most marginalized people in society.
One of the greatest challenges facing humanity is sustainable development (Singh and Khetwani, 2017). However, the issue is routinely not reported or under-reported in the media. Pressure groups and governments trying to get information through to the public do not easily find a media platform (Seneviratne, 2018). It is in this context that we are trying to study the role of three media outlets in India which have played a great role in the public understanding of key environmental issues, above all, climate change and biodiversity loss, which have enormous implications for economic, social and environmental security (Saxena, 2014). By covering various aspects/dimensions of the concept of sustainable development, these media outlets have tried to serve one of the most significant causes of Indians.
Defined as development that is likely to achieve lasting satisfaction of human needs and improvement of the quality of life which encompasses: a) Help for the very poorest who are left with no option but to destroy their environment to survive. For instance, some of the tribals in India still using fossil fuel for household purposes not being very much aware of its environmental impact. These fossil fuels may be gathered from their natural habitat (forests in some cases) even by felling trees since there is no other option; b) the concept of sustainable development evokes idea of self-reliant development in the face of natural resource constraints; c) sustainable development also means cost effective development using different economic criteria to the traditional – i.e. development should not degrade environment; d) sustainable development must address important issues of health control, appropriate technologies, food self-reliance, clean water and shelter for all; e) and people centered activities are necessary - human beings are the resources in the concept (Sengupta, 2002; Nobre and Walker, 2011; Sachs and Moon, 2015; Goel, 2016; Ossewaarde, 2018; Sharma and Sobti, 2018).
Chapter Summaries
Abstract: This section introduces Development Support Communication (DSC) and outlines the study's objective to examine the role of three Indian media outlets—India Today, NDTV, and The Hindu—in promoting sustainable development and amplifying marginalized voices.
Introduction: This chapter highlights sustainable development as a major global challenge and sets the context for studying how Indian media outlets contribute to public understanding of critical environmental issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.
1. Sustainable Development: This section provides a comprehensive definition of sustainable development, detailing its various facets including aiding the poor, promoting self-reliance, ensuring cost-effectiveness without environmental degradation, addressing health and basic needs, and emphasizing people-centered activities.
2. The Indian media: This chapter categorizes the post-independence history of Indian media into five distinct phases, describing the evolving role of the media from a patriotic and watchdog function to its challenges during emergencies and the rise of investigative journalism.
3. Development Journalism: This section explains the concept of Development Journalism, its emergence since the 1960s, and its goal of promoting positive developments in areas such as power projects, irrigation, food self-sufficiency, and various social missions in the country.
4. Objectives of study: This chapter clearly states the paper's main objectives: to analyze the role of selected Indian media outlets in fostering sustainable development and to determine if they fulfill an educative function through their reporting on this topic.
5. Theoretical Framework: This section details the Development Communication Theory as the guiding framework, emphasizing communication's role in promoting development, encouraging genuine public response, and fostering critical consciousness for social change, acknowledging sustainable development as an integral part of this theory.
6. Methodology: This chapter describes the research approach, which combines Case Study, Simple content analysis, and Observational study, focusing on data from January to March 2018, a period chosen for its numerous environmentally significant events.
7. Analysis: This section presents the findings from examining 208 stories across the three media outlets, identifying 358 terms/phrases related to sustainable development and providing tables to detail frequently used terms and their frequencies for each outlet.
8. Findings: This chapter summarizes the key results, indicating a strong commitment from all three media outlets to sustainable development, with India Today showing more coverage than The Hindu, and highlighting major focuses like air pollution, climate change, and environmental protection.
Conclusion: This final section reiterates that sustainable development is crucial for humanity and affirms that international, national organizations, and media houses, including The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV, are actively contributing to its promotion.
Keywords
Sustainable Development, Media, Development Communication, India Today, The Hindu, NDTV, Environmental Issues, Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Public Understanding, Communication Skills, Social Change, Developmental Issues, India, Media Outlets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this work?
This work fundamentally focuses on the role of three prominent Indian media outlets (The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV) in furthering sustainable development through their reporting and fostering Development Support Communication (DSC).
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The central thematic fields include sustainable development, media's role in development communication, environmental issues (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss), public awareness, and the socio-economic implications of developmental policies in India.
What is the primary objective or research question?
The primary objective is to study whether the chosen Indian media outlets effectively promote sustainable development and perform an educative function by conveying information on developmental issues, especially including the perspectives of marginalized populations.
Which scientific method is employed in this study?
The study employs a combination of Case Study, Simple Content Analysis, and Observational Study to examine media coverage over a specific period from January to March 2018.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers a definition of sustainable development, a historical overview of Indian media, the concept of development journalism, the theoretical framework, the methodology including details about the selected media outlets, a detailed analysis of their content, and the key findings.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by keywords such as Sustainable Development, Media, Development Communication, India Today, The Hindu, NDTV, Environmental Issues, Climate Change, Public Understanding, and Social Change.
Why were The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV specifically chosen for this study?
These three media outlets were chosen due to their significant historical role in the Indian media landscape, their reputation for high journalistic standards, their commitment to developmental issues, and their observed influence in shaping public understanding of environmental and social concerns.
What were the main findings regarding the media outlets' coverage of sustainable development?
The study found that all three media outlets demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainable development. India Today had more stories on the topic than The Hindu and NDTV, and major themes covered included air pollution, clean fuel, biodiversity conservation, and climate change, indicating a positive shift in media's attention to environmental issues.
How does the paper define "Sustainable Development"?
Sustainable Development is defined as development that ensures lasting satisfaction of human needs and improves quality of life, focusing on aiding the poorest, promoting self-reliance, ensuring cost-effective development without environmental degradation, addressing health and basic needs, and emphasizing people-centered activities.
What is the significance of the "Fifth Phase" of Indian media from 2013 onwards, as described in the paper?
The "Fifth Phase" from 2013 onwards marks a significant shift where much of the Indian media was perceived to lack journalistic objectivity, endorsing false propaganda during elections, though some outlets like The Hindu, India Today, and NDTV reportedly resisted pressure and continued to serve the public's right to know.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Francis Thummy (Autor:in), 2018, Furthering Sustainable Development. Role of 3 Indian Media Outlets, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/1667615
