Coverage of climate change information in Tanzanian newspapers
| Date | 03 September 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-11-2017-0100 |
| Published date | 03 September 2018 |
| Pages | 425-437 |
| Author | Peter Onauphoo Siyao,Alferd Said Sife |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information in society,Information literacy,Library & information services |
Coverage of climate
change information in
Tanzanian newspapers
Peter Onauphoo Siyao
Department of Library and Information Science,
Mzumbe University, Morogoro, Tanzania, and
Alferd Said Sife
Moshi Co-operative University (MoCU), Moshi-Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Abstract
Purpose –This study was conducted to analysethe extent at which Tanzanian newspapers paid attention
to climatechange information over the period of 10 years betweenJanuary 2006 and December2015.
Design/methodology/approach –Six Tanzanian newspaperswere quantitatively content analysed for
frequenciesof coverage to climate change information.
Findings –The results indicate that of totalsix Tanzanian newspapers had very few (684; 0.84 per cent)
articles on climate change which is an average of 68.4 articles per year. Much attention was given to
entertainment (24,331; 30 per cent) followed by miscellaneous (19,413; 24.0 per cent) and advertisements
(18,112; 22.3 per cent). The Pearson’s chi-squaretest indicates that there was a significant difference in
x
2
=
21,765, p-value <2.2e 16 between the level of coverage of climate change articles on other topics in the
selectednewspapers.
Research limitations/implications –Scanning the sampled six newspapers for climate change
information and recording the results in the code sheet for the period of 10 years was a tedious and time-
consuming exercise which demandedresearchers and coders to be extremely careful. Also it is possible that
the samplingstrategy used led to missing some data that would have resulted intodifferent conclusions about
each newspaper’s coverageon climate change. However, the systematic sampling strategywas applied for a
long period, that is, 40 months for each newspaper that increasedthe reliability and accuracy of the results
and conclusionsabout the overall trends in each newspaper’s coverage of climate changeinformation.
Practical implications –These findings imply that, as the disseminators of information, Tanzanian
newspapersdid not pay adequate attention to climate changeissues. The study concludes that contraryto the
fact that climate change is among the threatening phenomena in Tanzania that would commensurate a
significant attention in the media, the findingsof this study indicate that the volume of coverage devoted to
climate change by the newspapers in Tanzania is very low and disproportionate to the level of threat. This
leaves a question on the Tanzanian newspapers’dedication to reporting climate change information. It is
therefore recommended that newspapers’media owners, editors and journalists should be environmental
nationalisticenough to frequently report climate change information, and the scope of the government-owned
newspapers should be revisited to ensuremore coverage of climate change information in their publication
which can be doneby having a section specifically dedicated for climatechange issue.
Originality/value –This study has therefore contributed to the growing body of analytical research
knowledge on the role of newspapers in the dissemination of climate change informationin Tanzania. This
study has also highlighted the importance of taking into account newspapers coverage of climate change
informationwhich can further be used for policy recommendationsto improve the climate change information
communicationsystem through the use of newspapers and show the credibilityof the newspapers in creating
awarenessof climate change in Tanzania.
Keywords Content analysis, Tanzania, Newspapers, Coverage, Climate change, Attention
Paper type Research paper
Climate
change
information
425
Received21 November 2017
Revised24 April 2018
Accepted4 June 2018
GlobalKnowledge, Memory and
Communication
Vol.67 No. 6/7, 2018
pp. 425-437
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2514-9342
DOI 10.1108/GKMC-11-2017-0100
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