Abstract: The journalist remains the hope for rural development and safeguard for the rural dwellers, whose needs draw the attention of the elitist regime and politicians only during period of political electioneering and mandate renewal. The rural dwellers are always subjected to period cycle of unfulfilled promises. The role of the Journalists becomes imperative and greatest agents of advancing grassroots development through an institutional and interventionist approach. It is believed that the gap in communication and feedback mechanism between the grassroots and the urban centres, can be narrowed by the constants and dispassionate intervention of journalists to frequently remind the politicians and the elitist class of their promises made to the rural people before they were given the mandate of electoral victory. It is the duty of the journalist to remind the politicians of their social responsibility towards the society, especially the rural folks and performance of how diligent and judicious they were able to manage public funds entrusted into their care, as well as commending government’s efforts in alleviating the plight of the rural people when such obligations are fulfilled. This mediating role of the media is believed to be a platform of fostering a fledging relationship between the government and the grassroots. This paper looks at the “Holding Politicians to Electoral Promises: The role of the Media in Rural Development,” in the context of the strategic role of the Media in dealing with challenges bedeviling rural development, particularly, rural India. The paper also seeks to address some of the challenges Journalists face as individuals in their quest to report on rural issues in one hand and the media as an institution faces in the era of commercialization and political interference in their operations.
Keywords: Journalist, Promises, Rural, Commercialisation, Grassroots.
Title: Holding Politicians to Electoral Promises: The role of the Media in Rural Development
Author: Wisdom Peter Awuku
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
Research Publish Journals
