When it comes to addressing the problems of the developing world, it’s not only political will that’s missing, but media coverage too.

Love it or hate it, the media can play an effective role in holding governments to account. There’s no tiptoeing around, it’s straight to the point when you’re flown in and given just hours to compile a story.  Moreover, unlike aid workers, journalists aren't compelled to appease dictatorships. The might not get any answers, but they can ask whatever they like.

Getting the truth out there means journalists have the power to make a real difference. Only one problem, international development is simply not on their radar. We heard at the Th!nk3 launch that 500 journalists covered India’s fashion week, yet in a country where over 2 million people live on less than 50 cents a day, there's not a single full time journalist reporting on poverty. Of everything I heard that day, (and there was an awful lot to take in) what stayed at the forefront of my mind was definitely that fact.

A good opportunity?

I wonder, perhaps hacks have a chance to redeem themselves. For so long, many of them have been berated for churning out sensationalist story one after the other. Covering serious world stories might just earn them back some street cred. There’s also the chance to carve a career out of working on international development, since there are so few reporters out there doing just that.

Taking responsibility

With this opportunity comes big responsibility. The public is so heavily influenced by the media, journalists reporting on developing countries have an even bigger responsibility on their hands. Projecting the realities of life in a developing country is not easy at the best of times.

Image courtesy of http://en.trend.az/media

Bucking the trend

Working with looming deadlines, political instability, a foreign language and a constantly changing situation makes it that bit harder to deliver. So it’s not hard to see why journalists tend to get complacent and stick with showing yet another starving child or a group of desperate looking villagers. A few shocking images gets the message across instantly. But not anymore. Much of the west has become immune to the generic ‘flies around the face’ picture. It’s time to break the pattern of portraying those living in developing countries as weak, passive onlookers. Rather, these countries and their inhabitants ought to be seen as investment opportunities.

Moving forwards

Only then can the debate evolve into a more sophisticated one. Just like the aid workers, the media needs to commit to embarking upon a long-term journey. Why don’t they use their influence to educate the masses? There in the thick of it, they have the chance to understand the subtleties of the situation, which are usually overlooked in a two-minute news story.  

We often forget that in a lot of countries the media itself is still developing, but the core potential to achieve these things is still present.

I started off my Th!nk3 experience with the post ‘What can we achieve?’ We're not the decision makers, but who says bloggers can't make up for the lack of journalists, and contribute to the public perception and awareness of the developing world?