Mass Media and Environment in Mexico

Abstract

Considering that mass media contribute to the participation of citizens in improving environmental conditions with a positive attitude, this work was developed to identify the features that distinguish information related to the environment, as it was broadcasted in Mexico, in five mass media during 2015, 2016 and 2017. The study, conducted with the quantitative content analysis technique, included news and reports related to the environment that were presented in the newspapers Excelsior and El Norte, and on the nightly news broadcasts of tv Azteca, Televisa, and Canal 11. The sample included the analysis of a randomly constructed week for every one of those years. The results refer to the fact that in Mexico, the mass media (especially the television media) have forgotten to participate in society with topics oriented to the conservation of the environment. However, they do tend to pay special attention to the subject in case of events that, due to its characteristics, can add a certain dose of spectacularity (fires, floods, deaths, etc.). In addition to being limited, the environmental content in the Mexican mass media lack diversity, both in the themes and actors or the sources they turn to. In addition to this, we should add the little commitment they show to promote among their readers or their public, a social culture oriented to conserve and preserve the environment.