THE ROLE OF NEWSPAPER IN DISSEMINATING INFORMATION IN AMPHAN AFFECTED AREAS: A STUDY ON PIROJPUR DISTRICT

Mousumi  Khatun; Rukia  Akter

doi:10.53808/KUS.2022.19.2.215-ss

Authors

Mousumi Khatun Mass Communication and Journalism Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh.
Rukia Akter Mass Communication and Journalism Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53808/KUS.2022.19.2.215-ss

Keywords:

Disaster, National Newspaper, Information Dissemination, Cyclone Amphan, Bangladesh

Abstract

In general, Bangladesh's coastal region has been hit by a lot of disasters, but the frequency of these disasters has grown in recent years. Providing adequate information can help lessen the damage caused by these events. Newspapers are vital medium for disseminating information to the public about impending disasters specially in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. This study is all about analyzing the role of newspapers in disseminating information about the Cyclone Amphan to common people's consciousness. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in this study. The information was gathered through content analysis of four national dailies and interviews with two groups: victims of the Amphan affected area in the Pirojpur district and journalists from national dailies working in the same district. The study finds that there was insufficient coverage of Cyclone Amphan concerns in The Daily Star (5%), The Daily Prothom Alo (9%), The Daily Ittefaq (7%), and Bangladesh Pratidin (6%) of the total news. From the analysis, newspapers carried disaster-related news to warn the public in disaster-prone areas about the disaster's damage and measures, as well as to alert affected individuals about the disaster's position and signal. Despite the low coverage of disaster news, newspapers attracted people's attention because they provided accurate and credible news and allowed them to learn more about a diverse range of topics.

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