EPISODIC AND THEMATIC FRAMING OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN PAKISTAN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND URDU NEWSPAPERS

Abstract

Aim of the Study: Climate change is one of the serious issues of the modern world, and the media help masses to understand this issue in a better way. For this purpose, the press highlights and frames the climate change issue in news, columns, and editorials. The current study focuses on the two types of news frames, i.e., episodic and thematic, in Urdu and English newspapers of Pakistan during the international conferences COPs. It examines and analyzes how climate change stories were reported in Jang, Nawa-i- Waqt, Dawm, and Express Tribune.

Methodology:

In the current study, a quantitative content analysis (sample size n = 985) of news items, columns, and editorials was conducted during the major climate summits: COP26 in 2021, COP27 in 2022, and COP28 in 2023. Each news item/ article was coded based on the framing, placement, genre, style, and climate categories. SPSS was used for statistical tests to examine the data collected. Chi-Square test was used to analyze the significance between Urdu and English newspapers and differences among the selected media organizations. 

Findings: The outcomes underscore a crystal-clear difference between the Urdu and English newspapers. The Urdu newspapers emphasize the episodic frames (60.3%) while English newspapers mostly use the thematic frames (61.2%) in the selected period.

Urdu newspapers were more focused on climate change events, e.g., rains, floods, and smog, which directly affect the local communities. The placement and length of news articles support this pattern. Urdu newspapers often published short climate change stories on the front page regarding natural disasters and local crises.

In the case of the native English press, they published a more detailed and longer version climate related issues in the editorial form. The themes and topic selection of English newspapers also differ from those of the Urdu newspapers. English newspapers published climate stories related to GHG (greenhouse gas emissions), global warming, and climate finance.

Conclusion:

Results and findings indicate a strong language gap in climate change reporting in Pakistan. Urdu newspapers are more connected with the native public; they publish event-based news items and focus on real-life problems during climate disasters.  On the other hand, English newspapers shape and figure out the debates at the policy level. Their audience is mostly the elite classes and policymakers.