A Textual Analysis of Media Frames Toward Environmental Issues in India

Abstract

Environmental sustainability and climate change are major geopolitical challenges today. Environmental protection is a global and local issue with few solutions. As governments around the world struggle with environmental politics, mass media organizations inform, advocate, and persuade for positive environmental change. Media reports, facts, and opinions on environmental issues shape public perceptions, so it’s important to evaluate their contexts. This paper examines how Indian news, documentaries, and social media frame environmental issues and how framing affects public perception. Study methods include qualitative comparative and thematic analysis. The environmental topics chosen for study are megacity air quality and pollution and, coastal city natural disasters and climate change. Language, image, and visual selection are evaluated in media frame construction. The study shows that cultural, political, and ideological biases shape these stories. The effectiveness and reach of different media, especially new media, can be compared. The report recommends several media strategies to improve environmental communication and eliminate fallacies like biased frames.