Mass media and national development: the role of information in the developing countries Schramm, W 1964大众传播媒介与社会发展:信息对发展中国家的作用一、写作背景 Inthe1960stherewasastrongbeliefinthepowerofmassmediatoeasilypropagate ideas on social change. Calls to improve mass communicationsystems of underdeveloped countries were made as a response to the UNGeneral Assembly Report saying that 70% of the world’s population hadinadequate access toinformation. Saidcalls camewith theneed towritea guide on how underdeveloped countries could optimise the power of themassmediafordevelopment.WilburSchrammacceptedthetask.Hewasthenconnected with the Stanford Institute of Communication Research. Theproduct was this book, Mass media and national development: the role ofinformationinthedevelopingcountries.Thisbookimplicitlyarguesthatthe nation-state promoting development is ideal, and that the media canhasten the process. Schramm argues the media entice people to change.However, media can only do so much when it comes to influencing peoplein making major attitudinal change. The book discusses campaigns onagriculture,health,literacyandformaleducationusingmassmedia.Justlike works of Lerner, Rogers and other modernists, ideas put forward inthisbookhavebeenwidelycontestedworldwide,especiallywhenitcomesto the power of mass media in influencing major behavioural change.20世纪60年代,人们坚信大众传播媒介有便捷传播社会变革信息的能力。联合国大会报告显示全球有70%的人口缺乏获得信息的渠道,因此有呼吁认为应促进不发达国家的大众传播系统的建设。针对上述呼吁,需要有人来撰写文书阐明不发达国家应如何充分利用大众传播媒介的影响以促进国家发展。施拉姆接受了这项任务,并且联系了斯坦福传播研究学院。他的研究成果就是这本书——《大众传播媒介与社会发展:信息对发展中国家的作用》。这本书含蓄地指出,国家需要发展,而媒介能加速其发展进程。施拉姆认为媒介能促使人们发生改变,但是,媒介只能在一定程度上影响人们在主要的态度方面发生改变。这本书论述了人们如何在1/ 6