Introduction
Development journalism has increasingly gained more notoriety since its establishment and promotion in the 1970s and 80s (Kalyango Jr et al. 2016). It prioritises an accurate representation of different social, cultural and economic realities, particularly concerning the Global South (Vientaine, 2010). By challenging one-sided Western communication ideals, development journalism aims to report ethically sound news from a ground-up, global-centered model. It does so by disrupting traditional communication modes that perpetuate ‘active source - passive receiver’ stereotypes (Melkote, 2018), actively disrupting long-held power dynamics between informer and receiver.
It is timely to examine the evolution of development journalism in this age of new media, looking particularly at development journalism transformation on social media. With an unprecedented amount of social media users across the globe (a staggering 5 billion), the journalism industry has evolved to contend with changing news-consumer behaviour online. With just under half of UK adults using social media for news, journalists are finding new ways to present news in a style compatible with the rapidity of social media (Ofcom, 2023).
This essay aims to provide insight into some of the major transformations to journalistic practices, perspectives, and content. Specifically in reference to the growing popularity of social media as a news platform and development journalism/journalists place within that. In particular, I look at the rise of amateur development journalists and both the spread and consumption of citizen journalism (Broersma and Eldridge II, 2019). Despite the contention that citizen-generated content lacks validity and accuracy, I make an evidenced argument for their inclusion, calling for a questioning in our understanding of what / who makes a journalistic expert. I make connections to this and the decolonisation and diversification of the journalism industry.
This essay starts by contextualising development journalism within social media, particularly emphasizing the contested accessibility of the online world and its utilization by citizens. It then delves into the shifting tactics of content styles and delivery by journalists, looking at news production in relation to the virality of social media and user consumption rates. I go on to question the understanding of journalistic experts as aforementioned, looking into the rise of citizen-generated content and indigenous news perspectives. This essay concludes by critiquing claims of the newfound access garnered by the online news world, analysing this against the realities of information accessibility and digital inequality. I hope this essay can contribute to a growing conversation around development journalism in the age of new media and how it can aid a wider diversification of the industry.
Contextualising (development) journalism within social media: Exploring a changing digital landscape
In this section, I delve into the evolving terrain of development journalism in the era of social media, positing that these platforms foster an environment that well serves a more liberal style of reporting. I scrutinize the shift from traditional offline formats to online mediums and the growing phenomenon of citizen journalism, examining the opportunities and challenges presented in this dynamic digital landscape.
It has been argued that social media serves as an apt platform for the development of journalism that promotes a ‘liberal and public service-oriented style’ of reporting (Soloman 2014). With the internet seen as “the great potential equaliser”, its accessible nature functions well to serve a more community-based style of development journalism (Compaine, 2001). Looking at social media’s digital predecessors such as blogs, (Singer, 2005), we can see certain journalistic practices remodelled for the online world. What started with a shift to online blogs and articles has developed into posts, images, and captions. Journalists working in the pre-social media era who are used to the professional culture of the newsroom and a more detached style of reporting have had to adapt traditional methods of reporting for online success (Kelly Fincham (2019). Journalists are ditching this detachment in favour of a more informal approach better suited to online platforms' culture of entertainment.
This raises a key point for the essay here - how can development journalists honour their stories (often hard-hitting and complex) while confronting social media’s demands for a certain type of content? I explore this further on in the essay.
The newfound accessibility of social media has provided an unprecedented level of success and visibility for the development journalism industry, aiding this evolution to online. What was previously seen as a sector of journalism somewhat separate from traditional journalism, has now exploded onto this digital landscape with great success. Take citizen journalism - a form of development journalism that sees citizens spreading and creating news that is less reliant on institutions or traditional sources (Horoub, 2019). Pre-social media, citizen journalists were restricted by their location and access to resources, particularly in countries with less global infrastructure. Social media has allowed more amateur development journalists to thrive, as content can be spread globally within seconds. However, claims of online access warrant investigation. Despite this potential synergy between industry and platform, both must be analysed against each other for potential incompatibilities, as explored further on in this essay.
This is a short introduction to some of the key ways development journalism is showing up online currently. I have touched upon the movement from offline to online journalism and evolving journalistic norms, specifically relating to content. I also start to introduce the concept of online accessibility and how it is aiding the rise of development journalism online. These ideas will be expanded upon throughout the essay.
The ‘buzzfeedification’ of (development) journalism. How the production of news content has evolved on social media
I will now further delve into the changing content styles of journalism on social media, examining this offline/online evolution. I explore the ethical challenges encountered by development journalists as they balance traditional journalistic values with the demands of digital media, aiming to illuminate the evolving dynamics of content creation and audience engagement online.
In an ‘accelerated society’ (development) journalism adapts to keep pace with the demands of social media (Rosa, 2013). The journalism industry has become adept at producing its content for mobile-first delivery to adapt the content for success online (Hill and Bradshaw, 2018). Content tactics are constantly shifting to match similarly shifting algorithms of major social networks (Tobitt, 2019). The consumption of news content online differs from that of offline news such as newspapers, particularly in its pace. Journalists must somehow present a fully formed story while battling with the reduced attention span of users, who ‘tend to form opinions based on headlines, not full stories’ (Denisova, 2020). This has been especially difficult for development journalists. They must honour their goals of covering often complex news stories that contribute to the social, economic, and cultural upliftment of society. Simultaneously, they have to consider reducing their stories to a social media - friendly format, a format somewhat incongruous with the morals of the development journalists. This incompatibility of morals can be seen in the clash between social media's prioritisation of entertainment and a ‘culture of virality’ over news and information (Denisova, 2023). Tandoc and Jenkinks (2017) refer to this change in content style as the ‘buzzfeedification of journalism’ in which entertainment and information converge to create a culture of ‘infotainment’ (Thussa, 2018). While there is evidence to suggest development journalists favour non-government-owned platforms for their autonomy (such as social media platforms), the pressure to mold news into clickbait-worthy stories brings forth questions about the integrity and purpose of their reporting (Kalyango Jr et al. 2016).
While seasoned development journalists contend with the major shifts in logic for social media, newer journalists who have grown up with internet access (who arguably have a greater digital literacy) have used this shift to thrive. This is particularly prevalent for citizen journalists, who have drastically increased in their numbers (Horoub, 2019). The emergence of citizen journalists can be related to this shift in the dynamics of news production, as individuals only need a smartphone and internet connection to produce news. This democratisation of content creation has blurred the lines between amateur and professional journalists, as I’ll explore in the next section of this essay.
Who is considered an expert? Understanding the shifts in power on perspectives
This section examines the changing landscape of journalistic expertise and power dynamics in media perspectives. Here, I navigate the complexities of empowering amateur journalists on social platforms, exploring the critiques of credibility from traditional journalists. I make it clear however, that I am advocating for a reunderstanding of who is considered a journalistic expert - and why this reunderstanding is rooted in the decolonisation and diversification of the journalism industry as a whole.
Historically, if we look at communication models in the West, these models were prescribed that were ‘linear, one-way, top-down and prescriptive from experts and the change agency at the top of the people’ (Melkote, 2018). The goal was to ‘establish a climate of modernisation’ in developing countries by changing people's behaviors (Rogers and Svenning 1969). The power dynamics rooted in a top-down influencing prevalent in this method hint at the colonial background of development communication and mass-media messaging strategies. Many scholars state they understand development journalism ‘as a response to the demands of post-colonial societies’ (Domatob and Hall 1983; Rampal 1984). Many Western news outlets have historically focussed on establishing a privileging of Western perspectives that focussed on labeling developing countries as lesser than (Domatob and Hall 1983; Rampal 1984). This can surely be inherently understood as a colonial, dominating technique - one that needs to be reformed if the journalism industry is serious about its goals of bettering diverse and international representation
I make a link here between the goals of diversification of the journalism industry and the means to do so via the empowerment and promotion of citizen journalism (Bodinger-de Uriarte et al., 2015) Despite the risk of ‘the amateur’, there is a clear benefit in this diversification of voices. The value of indigenous knowledge truly took shape in the 1980s (Melkote 2018), and feels prevalent today. Palestinian citizen journalists, for example, must confront the limitations on media in the Middle Eastern region and the imposed restrictions of some new media platforms in publishing Palestinian content (Bakis and Karakoç et al ., 2015) (Horoub, 2019). Social media often becomes the sole platform for these Palestinian citizen journalists to share their content, allowing them access to the industry previously heavily gatekept. This is a clear example of the movement from Western journalists reporting from the outside, to citizen journalists being able (and often empowered) to tell their own stories with the newfound access to social media. This coupled with the shifting in trust of the public further solidifies this re-understanding of experts. Traditional media is losing public trust and cynical individuals have been found to show a higher trust in citizen-generated news over official news (Newman et al., 2021), (Carr. et al., 2014). Despite the critiques of indigenous experts and amateur journalists, the wide array of benefits this change brings, particularly from a decolonial lens must be acknowledged.
Looking briefly at these critiques of ‘the amateur’, one of the main arguments is the risk involved with credibility/validity. Al Shami makes this case, stating;
“It is important to note that citizens, in the role of journalist have not acquired the necessary skills and knowledge for appropriately selecting, and implementing journalism rules in their content.”
One of the main principles of (development) journalism is reliability, and if this cannot be guaranteed, critique will follow. There are growing critiques of the denial of opportunities for amateur journalists, but this is often a result of traditional journalists potentially having better understandings of ‘impartiality, objectivity and independence’ (Tolmie, et al., 2017). However, I believe the process must start somewhere in the empowerment and spotlighting of amateur/citizen journalists. The skills needed to be taken seriously as a journalistic will only become available if the industry decides to share resources and re-understand who deserves access to them. This is explored and linked to information accessibility in the next section. I hope by linking citizen journalism to the active decolonisaiton of a Western set of journalistic principles I have well introduced the argument in favour of the empowerment of more amateur journalists.
A critique on the confidence in new media technology: acknowledging information accessibility
I will now spend time investigating the implications of new media technology on information accessibility, particularly focusing on the amplification of existing inequalities here. Through a critical lens, I aim to address the challenges faced by development journalists, particularly concerning digital literacy and technical means. I critique the claims of universal accessibility, providing evidenced reasonings for the current barriers still in place that make it hard for amateur journalists to succeed online.
I have introduced this section as I believe that to discuss the accessibility of social media journalism without recognising those most underrepresented who are not afforded such access, is a contradiction in itself. Online equalities are not necessarily novel, but rather an amplification of pre-existing disparities (Hargittai et al., 2008 & 2013). This amplification of inequalities is evident in the coverage of natural disasters online, for example. In Madianous essay on digital inequality and second-order disasters (2015), she writes:
“One of the few studies to have looked at social media and disasters in a global south context (the Pakistan floods of 2010) found that most Tweets were from non-local people commenting on the events (Murthy & Longwell, 2013, p. 840)”
I use this quote specifically to highlight how access to social media as a development journalist from the Global South does not guarantee coverage or visibility, particularly when contending with the multitude of Western voices which are often prioritised. Interactive technologies are praised for their ability to empower local communities, but as Madianou writes, “there is little evidence from non-Western contexts to support such claims” (WDR, 2013, p. 13).
While I have emphasised the benefits of citizen journalism in providing visibility to amateur (often marginalised) journalists, these journalists can only exist with technical means, the autonomy of use, and the ability to use the medium effectively (DiMaggio, Hargittai, Neuman, and Shafer 2004). Assuming technology is ‘inherently progressive and equally distributed’ is unwise if it is a mirroring of our wider, still unequal society (Madianou, 2015),. My previous reasoning in questioning the understanding of experts can also be re-sited here. The link between indigenous, amateur journalists critiqued for their novice techniques is related to digital literacy and information accessibility. Skills must often be self-taught rather than acquired from a more privileged, formal educational background.
Despite increasing accessibility and shifting power dynamics amongst older (traditional) and newer (development) journalists, those utilising social media may still face challenges surrounding this digital divide of access. It is therefore crucial to scrutinise any claims of unprecedented online access and existing equalities. We can understand multiple things to be true at once, such as the complex pros and cons of social media and accessibility. This section has briefly touched upon some of the main intersections of accessibility in relation to the topics/sections of my essay.
Conclusion
This essay has delved into key evolutionary moments in development journalism concerning social media, examining both significant challenges and opportunities. This ongoing shift can be understood as a transition from traditional communication models rooted in a colonial, top-down approach, to the rebirth of journalistic communication within a newer dynamic digital context. I have looked at the changing norms of the journalism industry with this movement from online to offline. I have explored how evolving content styles raise ethical questions for the development journalist as they may yield certain morals to the demands of social media’s virality. In the latter half of this essay, I investigated the surge in citizen journalism and how this has opened up space for more diverse voices that actively challenge previously established and colonial-rooted power dynamics. This redefinition of expertise brings a positive shift in the diversification of the journalism industry, despite challenges related to credibility and digital literacy. However, optimism must be tempered with a necessary awareness of inherent existing inequalities. Access to social media cannot be assumed, and even those with access are not guaranteed visibility or credibility as journalists.
In essence, the convergence of development journalism and social media represents a transformative era. With all times of great change, further research and critique are essential to understand and contextualise this shift. This essay provides a strong basis for future work to pick up on similar themes related to online journalism, information accessibility, and the diversification of journalism as a whole. I call for a re-understanding of who we consider a journalist and link this understanding to a deeper argument for the diversification of the journalism industry. Social media has great potential to aid this diversification, but can only do so with the backing of both the public and the journalism industry in truly welcoming this new era of a more intersectional and international journalistic world.
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