Climate in Crisis: Media Echoes from Vulnerable Frontiers (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand)

Abstract

Aim of the Study: This study examines how climate-vulnerable countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand) cover climate change in their leading English-language newspapers. The research focused on analyzing the extent of media coverage, the framing of climate issues, and how international reports like the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) influence climate reporting in the region.

Methodology: In the current study, a quantitative approach using content analysis was adopted. It examined news stories and editorials from three prominent newspapers: Dawn (Pakistan), The Daily Star (Bangladesh), and Bangkok Post (Thailand). 837 news items/editorials published in three selected newspapers between April 4, 2021, and April 3, 2023, were analyzed. The research evaluated frequencies and frames before and after the release of the IPCC AR6.

Findings: The findings showcased evident variations in climate change coverage across the three countries. Dawn published the highest number of articles (47.9%). News stories (67.86%) were more frequent than editorials (32.14%). After the release of AR6, media coverage of climate content increased by 34.46 %. The most used news frame was “Attribution of Responsibility” (35.72%), while “Biodiversity” and “Morality” were the least used frames in selected newspapers. Interestingly, socio-political news stories/editorials appeared more frequently than natural disaster events, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The study concludes that press (newspaper) coverage of climate change differs among the selected South and Southeast Asian countries. The release of AR-6 by the IPCC positively affected the volume of climate reporting, however, there is a noticeable lack of balance in the framing, with limited focus on morality and biodiversity frames.