| dc.description.abstract | Today the questions of adaptation and mitigation to
climate change risks are arching their way out to
community platforms in an interpretive flow through
various communication modes that shape public opinion and
mediate scientific commentaries. At the forefront of this process,
are news media which facilitate critical public engagement in
alternative discourse concerning climate change controversies.
However, the question of whether or not the media can lead to
informed citizenry that can help communities and governments
to enact sustainability measures for society is an elusive one.
Some quarters have put reservations on the ecological integrity
of media concerning climate change highlights as it plays to the
tune of dominant systems of environmental representation,
which is biased on framing alarming reports of ecological
collapse. Using content analysis of selected media this paper
examines climate change reporting and representations in
Kenya. Further interviews were done with scientists to examine
their perception about climate science reporting in Kenya’s
mainstream media. It was found that climate change continues
to receive low coverage locally, however from time to time when
new research findings are published the media are quick to flash
out alarmist news. This brings the question of true
representation of science in mainstream media; is it a triumph of
business over journalistic norms as media are quick to sell and
remain relevant? The findings also posit a proactive role yet to
be embraced by the media in addressing environmental failures
as well as its healing possibilities in bid to tackle the prevailing
climate change crisis observed both globally and locally. | en_US |
