Coverage of Environmental Issues in Local Dailies of Chattogram Centering World Environment Day

Abstract

This research attempts to explore the news coverage of environmental issues in two local newspapers of Chattogram, Bangladesh; The Daily Azadi and The Daily Purbokone. In order to carry out the objectives of the research, qualitative and quantitative methodology were employed. The researcher tries to find the answers to the problem of whether local newspapers of Chattogram cover sufficiently environmental issues and what extent of news they cover comparatively. It also finds the types of environmental issues they covered centering world environment day. Primary data was collected through content analysis of these two newspapers. The agenda-setting approach was the theoretical framework for the study. The research concluded that local newspapers of Chattogram do cover environmental issues, though the subject matter did not receive much analysis. Although environmental issues are not covered sufficiently in these two newspapers, it is concluded that The Daily Azadi covered the highest environmental news comparatively The Daily Purbokone around World Environment Day (WED). The ways of prominence given for environmental issues in these two newspapers were different considerably. In terms of the extent of coverage, types of environmental issues, level of prominence (nature of the story, item, placement, space, and treatment), it is evident that The Daily Azadi newspaper has given the significant representation or considerable coverage for environmental related issues than The Daily Purbokone. But, in The Daily Azadi and The Daily Pubokone, environmental issues were not only ignored but also (if covered) they were given very small portions of the newspaper and marginalized in relation to their presentation. However, Policy makers, academicians, environmentalists and students of environment studies will be the most beneficiaries of this study. Findings can be used as academic purpose as well as in policy making level. It is mentionable, as we studied only two local dailies of Chattogram, to some consideration, it does not represent the grand coverage tendency of Chattogram’s local dailies. So, a further mass scale study can explore the overall propensity of Chattogram’s local dailies regarding environment issues. Keywords: environmental issues, news coverage, World Environment Day (WED), local dailies, Chattogram.