A Study of Environmental Issues and Role of P...

A Study of Environmental Issues and Role of Print Media

Author Name : Dr. Ravi Suryavanshi

ABSTRACT

The preservation of a healthy environment is widely acknowledged as a fundamental requirement for human growth and development. However, with the advent of the industrial revolution, growing population needs, and increasing economic activity in both developed and developing nations, there has been a surge in energy consumption and demand, resulting in environmental degradation. The rise in greenhouse gas emissions, including Carbon Dioxide, Methane, and Nitrous Oxide, has been identified as the primary cause of global warming, contributing to the escalating temperature of the earth. Scientists had raised concerns about the potential problem of global warming as early as 1896 in the United States. The increasing temperature of the earth poses a significant global threat to human survival and demands urgent attention and action from the international community. The era of information technology has led to an increased dependence of people on the media. The Agenda Setting Theory, proposed by Maxwell McCombs and Donald C. Shaw in 1972, highlights the influential power of the media in shaping the norms, attitudes, ideas, and thoughts of the masses. Therefore, the media has a crucial responsibility to create awareness about environmental issues, policy making, and management. It is imperative that responsible media takes up socially useful contributions that can help people gain a deeper understanding of environmental problems and encourage them to search for viable solutions. This research paper aims to explore the role of print media in disseminating information and raising awareness about environmental issues. The paper utilizes the Content-Analysis method, comparing the local news pages of two Hindi daily newspapers in Lucknow city for a period of one month, with a sample size of 56 articles from both newspapers. The researchers analyzed the news related to environmental awareness, placement and space on the page, quality of the message, and treatment of the news. The study presents certain suggestions and conclusions after a detailed analysis of the collected data.

Key words: Environment, Print Media, Newspaper, Health, Content analysis