A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPERS’ COVERAGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study content analysed four Nigerian newspapers; Daily Trust, Leadership, The Nation and This Day from Jan 2013 to Dec 2014, with the aim of finding the pattern in climate change reporting in the selected newspapers. The objectives of the study include ascertaining the level of attention given to climate change in Nigerian newspapers, analysing the various frames used in reporting climate change, determining the prominent genre of reporting climate change and comparing the pattern of climate change reporting in the four selected newspapers. The study adopted framing theory as its theoretical approach. Content analysis was used to gather data for the research. Stories with any of the key words; climate change, global warming or green house, were the content categories. Units of analysis include news, features, editorials, interview and opinion. Findings from the study show a slight disparity in the volume of reportage of climate change in all papers except The Nation which had the lowest volume. Climate change mitigation was the major frame of reportage in all the papers and features were the major genres used in reporting climate change. A comparison within the papers shows that climate change reportage is similar across the papers with little differences. In conclusion climate change stories were not given much attention by all the papers considering the low volume of reportage, page placement, keyword appearance and story length. More so, issues that are keen to certain areas should be taken more serious, more frames on the causes and effects of climate change should be used in reporting as this will help educate the public of the dangers of climate change so they can willingly change their behaviour towards a greener society.