Coverage of Environmental Issues by the Pullout Young Nation Magazine of the Sunday the Nation

Abstract

In June 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) identified the lack of up-to-date environmental information as one of the factors that contributed to unsustainable use of the natural resources at a global level. According NEMA (2001), the majority of the Kenyan population, who are the young people lack sufficient understanding of basic environmental issues. This is clear in the way they use natural resources. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the "pullout" (the young nation magazine of the Sunday Nation Newspaper) gave prominence to environmental coverage. A total of 595 stories were identified from 538 editions of the young nation between 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2005. The researcher used content analysis method of research. The unit of analysis was all editorial content. This meant all stories in form of text and visual editorials as well as letters. The data was analysed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) research software. Using media agenda and media framing theoretical contexts, some of the key factors the study revealed are that overall environmental coverage, which had picked in the year 1997 had declined by the year 2005. Further, the majority of environmental issues were placed in inside pages. There is a lack in proportional diversity of environmental topics, and media framing was mainly scientific. Hence, the study concluded that the young Nation gave inadequate prominence to environmental coverage during the period of the study.