Media Framing of Climate Change in Kenyan Print Media: A Comparative Analysis of Daily Nation and Standard Newspapers

Abstract

This study investigated the news coverage of climate change in Kenyan newspapers by comparing the Daily Nation and The Standard. The study uses a convergent mixed-methods design, which combines numerical analysis of 200 selected articles from 2018 to 2020 with information from semi-structured interviews with 10 journalists in the field and 5 experts on climate. Entman’s Framing Theory forms the basis of this study, suggesting that the media's selective picking and highlighting of certain aspects of reality shape public conversations. Significant differences in frame prevalence were assessed using chi-square tests, while the collected comments were analysed by thematic analysis. The research shows that newspapers consider climate change a key issue, but each paper takes a distinct approach to its discussion. Most of the Daily Nation’s coverage focuses on ways the government responds and on the impacts of its decisions. Whereas Global examines global effects, The Standard focuses on what happens within a community and shares personal stories. This illustrates that what gets reported about climate problems depends on the special interests of news outlets and media systems. It enriches research in environmental communication by demonstrating that the content in media shows can influence public attitudes, involvement in policy, and understanding of climate issues. It suggests that journalists in Kenya and around the world utilize scientific knowledge to help people gain a more comprehensive and responsible understanding of climate change issues.

Key words: Framing, Climate change, Global effects

DOI: 10.7176/NMMC/109-03

Publication date: October 31^st 2025