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This chapter sketches aspects of the image of development, identifying its basis in media structure and processes, with data from Britain and Colonial Nigeria. It argues that traditional news definitions and gathering routines position media as cultural mechanisms for maintaining social order, rather than catalysts for social change. The paper critically examines how simple models of direct media effect on attitudes, still prevalent in development communication research, overlook the complexities of social transformation. It emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of media’s role in shaping societal narratives and perpetuating existing power structures.