It was observed by the School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media that there is a difference in the frequency and coverage of the issue especially climate change and health and these differences are prevalent in the context of different regions. The differences are mainly in terms of policies, research and communication and it was observed a western dominance. The global western coverage is also ahead in the context of content of the coverage and media attention especially climate change media reporting is concerned.
The important concerns here are the macro and micro-level interventions such the political and economic contexts of the region, the commitment of the governance for climate actions, policies and response strategies influencing the media attention and coverage of climate change both at national and regional level.
The journalistic culture and access to scientific data resources plays a role and it was observed the coverage is less in the countries of Asian continent. Although, the journalists from Asian sub-continent paid more attention to development journalism especially reporting climate change policies, agendas, activities and events in comparison to global west. But, this difference also depends on how the national and regional geo-political contexts influence the themes and dimensions in coverage of climate change
The association of the School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will help us to focus on creating scientific literature focusing on regional information need and associated issues, especially in the Asian region. It is also a time to look into shifting the focus from denial and despair to action rather than on the solutions to social issues and ways to adapt to its effects in the way they were reported.
We believe that there is a need for a larger connection in peoples’ minds and to share the voices and concerns of the marginalized, most vulnerable people who have contributed least to the problem but are suffering most from its impact. The challenge of access to information is two-fold: first, presents information valid in scientific scrutiny and second, it has to understand how and in what ways vulnerable communities adapt to the impacts of changes.
I think that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Central University of Himachal Pradesh – School of Journalism, Mass Communication and New Media will play a role in empowering communities to make informed choices and to react timely to the ecological and social changes. I hope that in coming time the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is going to help the scientists, policy makers and civil society to have more insights on how information environment is shaped by the community power dynamics and its influence.