Corpus-Assisted Frame Analysis of Climate Change Editorials in Indian English Language Newspapers

Abstract

Media reporting of climate change has long influenced public perception of the issue. The present study attempts to understand the media presentation of climate change in India by investigating the framing of climate change discourses in 30 editorials of prominent Indian English newspapers, The Times of India, The Indian Express, and The Hindu, with the help of corpus-assisted frame analysis using Sketch Engine software. The study utilised corpus techniques, like keyword and concordance analysis, along with open coding, to extract common “frames” that figure prominently in the selected newspapers. The results revealed that four major frames were employed by the newspapers: climate change as a worrisome reality that requires immediate attention; climate compensation and mitigation funds as contentious issues that require deliberation between developed and developing nations; India as an active participant in mitigation efforts; and climate crisis as a geopolitical issue that requires cooperation across the board. The analysis resulted in the conclusion that these newspapers displayed little climate scepticism, was sensitive to the economics of mitigative action, and were interested in India’s role in the conversations regarding climate change on the global stage.