Environment comprises a minuscule 0.35 per cent of news on popular Hindi news channels, closely trailing agriculture at 0.4 per cent and health at 0.5 per cent.
A study conducted by the New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS) has found that cinema, on the other hand, makes up 7 per cent of prime time news and fashion/lifestyle 1.7 per cent. National politics was tops with 10 per cent.
The findings are based on a study conducted by CMS of prime time coverage for April and May this year. These prime time news (7pm to 11pm) figures are based on coverage of six Hindi news channels – DD News, Star Plus, Aaj Tak, Zee News, NDTV Hindi, and Sahara Samay.
Among the channels tracked during the survey period, quantitative coverage on environment was maximum on Sahara Samay at 41.51 per cent, followed by NDTV Hindi at 26.42 per cent and DD News at 20.75 per cent. Aaj Tak, Star TV and Zee News devoted only 5.66 per cent, 3.77 per cent and 1.04 per cent of prime time news to environment.
Sahara Samay, the survey found, also led in terms of diversity in the coverage of news, closely followed by DD News and NDTV Hindi. Diversity of environmental news coverage leaves much to be desired on Aaj Tak, Zee News and Star TV. Both Zee News and Star TV even overlooked the Narmada-Medha Patkar issue (which was in the limelight during the survey period), whereas Aaj Tak's entire environmental news coverage during the period was limited to three news spots on Patkar.
According to Chandra Prabha, deputy director, CMS Media Lab, who conducted the study, the comparative analysis of various channels' coverage showed that DD News and NDTV Hindi were the only channels to debate environmental issues in their prime time coverage. During the period, NDTV was the only channel to raise and debate various issues of development and rehabilitation pertaining to the Sardar Sarovar project. DD discussed forest conservation in the Northeast and air pollution in small cities.
During the April-May period, 37.7 per cent of environment news was about dams and displacement, and 13.2 per cent was about zoos. Next were biodiversity and forest conservation issues. However, the CMS study found, dams and displacement stories were considered significant enough for repeat mention in different bulletins – in fact, 80 per cent were repeat mentions. Most environment news items were not repeated.
In terms of news origin, environment news was reflective of the general trend with 52.8 per cent reports emanating from Delhi, 11.3 per cent from the state capitals, 7.5 per cent from Mumbai, 20.8 per cent from other towns and cities, and 7.5 per cent from rural areas.
The study was limited in its scope since coverage also depends on what happens at a particular point of time. According to Chandra Prabha, a clearer picture about coverage of environmental issues on prime time television would emerge only once this study is enlarged to cover prime time news over a one-year period.
