Sarcouncil Journal of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

Abstract: Media reports of ecological disasters reflect how disasters mutually affect humans and nature’s biodiversity. While most studies have focused on the consequences on humans, this paper examined discourse patterns and strategies that underscore climate and nature’s biodiversity as co-sufferers of ecological disasters, using news reports of mainstream news media. Images and texts from four news outlets, namely, Cable News Network, Columbia Broadcasting System, Television Continental and Channels Television. 20 news reports were purposively selected, 5 from each medium, considering the impact of disasters and frequency of reportage between 2019 and 2021, the period covered in the study. The news reports were downloaded from YouTube channels of the selected media because of accessibility and popularity. Transcripts and images from the videos were analysed, qualitatively, using van Leeuwen’s Social Semiotics and Lesley Jeffries’ Critical Stylistics as framework. Three discourse strategies were used by media to represent climate and nature’s biodiversity vulnerability. First, media represents biodiversity losses, portraying nature itself as the victim in disaster situations. The second is signifying eco-adaptation, underscoring the need for humans to mutually coexist with nature, and engaging in anti-climate endangerment campaigns. Third, the media validates climate change, justifying disaster as an inevitable occurrence due to consistent endangerment by human beings. These findings underscore that media reports act as the mediated – semiotic voices of nature, projecting activities relating climate and nature’s biodiversity, eco-adaptation and preservation.