Identify.

Development is a concept that’s simultaneously vague and precise. The very nature of the concept allows for varying interpretations of what it means. On some scales that determine a country’s development, the Philippines is lagging behind. Most of us may be familiar with hearing that we live in a third world country. Some of us may have read economic articles about our country’s economic growth and how it translates to our country’s level of development. However, despite all these, people may choose to believe in their own definition of the concept. Personally, I believe that development lies on the country’s ability to not only cater for the rich but also for the marginalized.

However,

we have to think beyond a single idea or opinion when it comes to identifying development related topics. There are certain indicators that determine whether or not a topic is development oriented:

Relevance

First and foremost, the topic has to be relevant to the people and whatever it is that is happening in the society. Development orientation when it comes to news topics is highly reliant on whether or not it is aligned with a relevant issue or event.

Significance

Aside from possessing the quality of relevance, a development oriented topic should also be significant. It is not just about how large the concerned group is but it is also about the importance of the topic at hand. Any lifestyle type of news can be considered relevant especially if it is about something that most people do on a daily basis. However, it is still important to determine whether or not that particular news is significant enough to be considered development oriented.

Connection to the Sustainable Development Goals

We are fortunate enough to live in a time where there is already an established list of specific goals that everyone regardless of age, gender, or nationality should aim to achieve. If a news topic is aligned with at least one of the SDGs then it can be considered as development oriented.