Communication for sustainable development: a challenge for the Tanzanian media today : a study of environmental coverage by two Tanzanian newspapers

Summary This study attempts to analyse the role of the media in environmental protection and how the media in Tanzania report about the environment. The main argument of this study is that the media play an important role in providing information, education, awareness and mobilization of the general public hence an integral part in the debate about environmental protection. It is build upon the notion of communication for sustainable development. One of the basic premises for sustainable development is the recognition that protection of the environment and the process of development are not separate challenges, but are complementary, interdependent and can be made mutually reinforcing. Using communication for development and agenda setting theories, the study examines environmental coverage by two Tanzanian newspapers (Daily News and The Guardian). The two newspapers, state and private owned respectively are compared in their coverage of the environmental issues. Qualitative and quantitative research methods have been used. The study set out to find why the media in Tanzania inadequately report about the environment. The study reveals that the media paid little attention to the environmental issues hence failed to set the agenda for the public on different environmental concerns. Lack of training on environmental reporting among journalists and editors was found to be the contributing factor to poor coverage of the environmental issues. The study reveals that the news selection and production processes contributes immensely to inadequate coverage of the environment in the Tanzanian press. The media in Tanzania failed to act as a vehicle of development by being able to inform, educate, mobilise and sensitise people on environmental concerns