| The research reported here is a content analysis study of four major Bangladeshi newspapers to determine the quantity of development news items in them and to, thus, ascertain how much emphasis is placed by the media on contents that promote development. The four newspapers selected for study are Bangladesh Times, Dainik Bangla, Dainik Ittefaq, and Dainik Sangbad. This study covers a period (1974--75, 1979, 1983, and 1992) in which four periods of political changes are represented.;The study found (1) significant differences in the quantity of development and non-development news in the Bangladeshi newspapers; with four newspapers, publishing significantly more non-development news than development news. (2) Significant differences were also found between the quantity of development news published by government and the quantity published by quasi-independent newspapers; with quasi-independent newspapers publishing significantly more development news than did government newspapers. (3) No significant differences were found to exist among the four political periods studied in the quantity of development news published.;The study recommends, among other things, that the media should focus more on the development needs of the country and also do more to encourage popular participation in the country's development planning, programs, and implementation. |
