Category: Week 06

No one starts off being fully skilled . In my case, I am an alien to my college. I only have a little knowledge for starters. But I am a development communicator-in-training, I am supposed to develop and learn first.

I learned that a development communicator must use his/her knowledge and share it to others to achieve developmental changes. One way is to write a news— news  that are not just  for entertainment nor popularity or fame but rather, it must be be one with a development-oriented characteristics. 

A month of stay in DevCom has me thinking, “What should I consider when writing a development oriented news/article?”. I don’t really know that much about development-oriented topics but luckily I found this site: 

http://fccm.cccomdev.org

It contains studies, reports, and articles published by experts and practiced people in the field. As I take a closer look in their works and with my knowledge, I have come up with my top 3 characteristics of a development-oriented topic/output:

  1. PURPOSIVE

It aims to do good to people–to effectively relay a message that they understand, a message that can help them. It has a clear purpose–an end goal. We influence people, and so it must have a clear path to channel what-to-do’s properly.

2. RELEVANT

Timely and audience can relate to— an article/output must be up-to-date where it still affects them, it is for the people, the reason we are writing is to let them read our works so we better make sure that people benefits from these development-oriented outputs. 

3. PEOPLE-CENTERED

I believe in the bottom-up approach. The most important and useful force in a nation is from the lowest sector. They are the machines that keeps the nation going. To write for the mass and about the mass is to help them in understanding the important ideas and/or conflicts, and to help them in relaying their problems or even solving the probem themselves.

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A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.

 Arthur Miller 

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As a development communication practitioner and a beginner, my first insights in the characteristics of the development-oriented topic are, it encapsulate the sustainable development goals, it was inclusive, and it leveled on the apparent concern for the social and cultural impacts. However, my prior knowledge was widened through the learning from my development communication training and upper-class devcom student. Here are the perceptions of the following person that helps me to magnified the accurate views of what a development-oriented topic/output is.

When I get asked what exactly development communication is, or what even a development-oriented topic is all about, I get this imagery in my head that I am a cartoon character filled with question marks on the top of my head. The thing is, entering the world of devcom for the first time, I really had no idea what the course is all about, and I didn’t exactly know how to explain it.

So, with the help of our upper class Devcom students from Batch 2018, I asked them for a video-interview to know what are the factors they consider in choosing a development-oriented topic, and some advice for those who are devcom freshies, like me!

From the answers of our upper class Devcom ate and kuyas, I manage to sum up their answers that stood out upon the rest and came up with these top 3 characteristics of a development-oriented topic:

1. It is feasible
   In the video, Ate Ricel said that if she is going to feature a story, all factors must be considered and must be easy to attain so that the result will be fruitful. It must also be research-based or scientific-based to know its feasibility. This category may also fall under Kuya Gabriel’s answer of aligning it with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and the 4 E’s of Development Communication (Empowerment, Environment, Entrepreneurship, Equity).
   
   
2. It is progress with the participation of the community
   I think this one is the most common thing that Kuya Gabriel, Ate Ricel and Kuya Ijanver answered. It is to consider if the project is people-centered. If the project benefits the people involved in the community. You don’t just help them by implementing a project, but you help build the skills of the community so that they can share it with others and somehow, you are sharing a responsibility from both sides.
   
   
3. It has an effect on the people
   Of course, we must also consider the effect of the project in the long run, just like what Kuya Ijanver said. Considering its effect on the people will make you see the behavior change, the change in policymaking, and the legacy on what the project did to the community.

Overall, development-oriented topics are really for the people. These projects are an avenue for growth, expansion, sustainability, and you name it. Asking those who have more experience than me in the field really did give me a lot of insights and a lot of inspiration to work even harder as a development communicator in the making, and I hope you did too.

Entering the world of Development Communication is a very new experience and feeling for me. I never thought that it would be really different from the things that I experienced during my Press Conference days. Writings and tasks are never that easy. Readings are never that short and easy to understand – a lot of analyses required and a lot of coffee to keep you awake. However, I find the tasks exciting. But then again, looking for and choosing a topic is a really hard decision to make.

A lot of confusion can really get in your way when choosing a topic. You may think that a topic is development-orientated, but it is really not. Now, here is something that can help you out to sort development-oriented topics from those that are not.

• Purposive – Your topic must not only be written and published but it must be written and published with a purpose. We do not only write to inform but to also influence others’ behavior on how to decide or act upon a certain issue. Whatever purpose your topic and your write-up might serve, always remember that we all must have desirable outcomes, targets and specific goals as to why we chose and wrote about a certain topic.

• Pragmatic – After setting our purpose and goals while using your topic, we have to make sure that our topic can be result-orientated. We need to make sure that we will be leaving an impression or an impact to the readers. Our topics must always be relevant to our chosen audience (know thy audience) for us to know how to stir up and generate results from them.

• Valuable – Last but not the least, always make sure that your topic is valuable and worth it. No matter how good you wrote your write-up if it is not something worth remembering or something that does not appeal to the audience, then your work will go to waste. It must be something that concerns a lot of people – their values and their ideas. The audience must also think that the topic is also important for them for you to achieve your goals and receive you results.

Well, topics can be development-orientated in a lot of ways. Basically, in development communication, we assume that there is an attached value in every message that one communicates (Jamias, 1975). As long as our aim is to reach and promote development through communication and through our writing, we are slowly reaching our goal to being the best version of our ideal development communicator.

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What makes a topic development-oriented?

As I did my research, I’ve encountered an article released in 2017 by Panay News which featured an article by Juan Jamias (2014) entitled “Development Communication and Development Journalism.” Upon further research, I came to know Jamias as one of the pioneers in the field of Development Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Baños. In his article, he defined development journalism in general in not only 3, but 5 characteristics:

• Development Journalism is purposive: conscious attitude to work for a goal or objective.

• Development Journalism is relevant: up-to-date.

• Development Journalism is mass-oriented: cover a wider scope.

• Development Journalism is scientific in outlook: coverage is in-depth.

• Development Journalism is a technical subject matter-oriented: rationally-based information.

As a development communicator in training, here are the top 3 characteristics that I’ve learned in the previous weeks that makes a topic development-oriented:

It has a mission.
A development-oriented news has an underlying purpose which follows certain goals such as the MDGs, SDGs and the 4Es of Development Communication. It doesn’t only stop in presenting certain phenomena; it caters a story that is hinged on achieving concrete targets.

It is for the people’s welfare.
A development-oriented news promotes the betterment of the people. It doesn’t only focus on certain individuals but reaches out to a larger audience on whom development should be aligned. It is able to provide solutions to the problems faced by a certain community or more so by the whole nation.

It is action-oriented.
A development-oriented news should be action-oriented. It should cover concrete measures that should be taken to achieve the idea of development. It presents how the different key players take part in the actualizing progress.

Despite the variety of characteristics that determines the development-orientedness of topics, I believe that it all boils down to one important message: we, development communicators, have the capacity to utilize communication as a tool to facilitate development and therefore, be channels of change.

Development Communication links with various development-related issues mostly centered on the marginalized-sector. Buhay Devcom is more about interacting with different kinds of people to know their story, their lives, and their experiences. However, in this field, there are guidelines for choosing a particular development-oriented topic. Not everything applies to development communication.

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I have asked some upperclass devcom students about the characteristics of a development-oriented topic.

Community-centered 

It should cover something that concerns people. Same with the topic which involves and benefits the people. 

Aligned to SD Goals 

Since Sustainable Development Goals are the universal guide for global goals set by the United Nations, it highly associated with the intended topic of a devcom student. It should focus on the 17 goals directed for development.

Adheres to the 4 E’s of Devcom

Environmentalism, equity, empowerment, and entrepreneurship must be covered in a particular topic for development.

In addition, the topic is said to be scientific/research-based.
According to Ricel Banayos, Devcom ’18, “This is ideal in writing articles especially if you want it to be development-oriented. It must feature an event or whatnot that involves scientific or research progress that will produce further development in its field, better if it provides sustainable development for the people.”

A Development-oriented topic aims for human transformation. As Laurenz Cruz (Devcom ’18) said, “Dapat it aims for human transformation -either cognitive, affective, o psychomotor. May call to action dapat ang development-oriented topics”.

All in all, the purpose of Development Communication in general is to provide a solution for a particular development-oriented problem through maximizing the use of communication. It is centered on reaching the people and the community.

From the development communication courses that I’m currently taking, I learned that there are several characteristics of a development-oriented topic/ output so I ranked them. And here goes my top three!

1. It should have an orientation.

An orientation towards progressive change. This orientation will be the guide to executing the activities of development planned by students, organizations, government, and such.

2. It should have a goal.

I’ve observed that the topics or most kinds of outputs are required to meet development goals like Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, and CDC Values and Guiding Principles (4 Es).

3. It should have a progressive change.

A development-oriented topic/output makes the previous development the basis for further development. Enhancing capacity within communities and empowering the belief that solutions to problems are needed to be addressed from the ground up.

But what I learned is still not enough, I need to learn more. So, I thought of asking Ate Loren, a CDC alumna about what she thinks. Ate Loren gives the best advice in both academic and extra-curricular activities and I always appreciate how she makes time to answer my questions, like this one, even with her tight schedule.

Now, let’s view the pictures and read the content.

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I am so grateful that she helped out, not only me but the readers of this as well. I am glad that I asked the right person. Another realization is that I should not be afraid to ask questions. I should learn to be passionately curious and ask. For a development starts with learning, and learning starts from asking.

BUHAY DEVCOM: “Development-Oriented” unpacked

The first challenge that a development communication student will face is to identify what is really a development-oriented topic. This is very important because all of the projects of a devcom student should portray and empower development. In order to this, there are some characteristics that we need to consider.

What is a development-oriented topic?

Talks about the definition of Nora Quebral

Sly, Batch 2014

Centered on communities’ needs

Bjanca, Batch 2018

By the people and for the people

Rizza, Batch 2018

Symbolizes the 4 Es of Devcom – Empowerment, Environmentalism, Entrepreneurship and Equity

Rose, Batch 2018