WHO IS AT FAULT? MEDIA RESPONSIBILITY FRAMES IN REPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Abstract

Environmental pollution has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges, prompting scholars to investigate how news media construct responsibility for its causes and solutions. This study examines responsibility framing in environmental news coverage by analyzing how media attribute blame, identify stakeholders, and propose remedies for pollution-related issues. Using a content analysis of 420 news articles published between 2018 and 2022 in four major English-language newspapers from Pakistan and India, the study explores patterns of causal attribution, moral evaluation, and recommended actions within the reporting. Guided by Entman’s framing theory and Iyengar’s episodic–thematic framing model, the study identifies dominant frames such as government failure, industrial negligence, citizen malpractice, and transboundary responsibility. The findings reveal that the media predominantly place responsibility on government institutions and industries, while downplaying citizen-level behavioral causes. Additionally, thematic frames were found to dominate high-profile pollution events, whereas episodic frames were more frequent in routine coverage. The study contributes to environmental communication scholarship by offering comparative insights into responsibility framing within South Asian media. It highlights the implications of such framing for public understanding, policy pressure, and cross-border environmental cooperation. Recommendations for balanced, solution-oriented reporting are offered to enhance environmental literacy and accountability through the press.