2nd Arts & Humanities Conference, Florence

MEDIA COVERAGE ON ISSUES OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGENDA SETTING: A CASE OF GOVERNMENT TELEVISION NEWS IN NEPAL

SATISH KOIRALA

Abstract:

Television news informs people on what is happening daily. Moreover, when government has its own television station, the news it broadcasts,should reflect the government's intention and agenda it carries regarding issues such as climate change. Climate change has become an important topic throughout the world. Scientific community and people around the world have their own opinions for and against the issues of climate change. Some people believe that global warming which causes climate change is a hoax whereas other believe climate change is real and anthropogenic. Government of Nepal believes that the climate change is real and as a result it signed different treaties with United Nations including the Paris agreement on climate change of 2016. Government of Nepal has responsibility to inform, educate and persuade people to act on issues of climate change and television news plays the vital role in doing so. Therefore, this paper looks at how the prime time news bulletin of Nepal television, a government owned television station presents issues of climate change and categorises them in terms of its frequency for a month. Nepal television should play an important role in making Nepalese aware of the human and natural consequences of climate change and the need for protection from the accelerating and damaging consequences of climate changes obligations to poor and vulnerable people. The discussion on this paper will be enriched by using qualitative as well as quantitative methods of data extraction from prime news bulletin.The interview with the chief editor of the television station will also assist to find out the television station's position on broadcasting the issues of climate change. Using the theory of agenda setting developed by Max McCombs and Donald Shaw, therefore this paper argues that the prime time news bulletin needs to focus more on agendas of people and their needs. Since Nepal government signed different treaties with United Nations including the Paris agreement on climate change in 2016, this government should play an important role in making Nepalese aware of the human and natural consequences of climate change. The television news also needs to focus more on adaptation and mitigation strategies to tackle climate change and also alert people accordingly.

Keywords: Climate change; Agenda setting; Prime time news; government; global warming

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