REDD+ politics in the media: analyses on media reporting about REDD+

Ever since the media began reporting on climate change in the late 1980s, studies have examined how this coverage has reflected and affected climate change policy. But research exploring these impacts has been limited, particularly in developing countries and in the context of REDD+.

While REDD+ is generally accepted to be important in the global efforts to reduce emissions, little analysis has been made of how the media is shaping discourse about it. To what extent to policy makers and the general public understand REDD+ and what do they expect from it? 

Media analyses on the reporting of REDD+ are being conducted in nine countries to examine how the media portray policy processes and the different frames that actors use to define and influence REDD+ policy debates.

Recently published case studies in Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia and Vietnam answer these key questions:

• What are the main areas of debate within the REDD policy arena?
• Who are the key actors involved, what are their policy positions, and how does the media present these positions to the public?
• What can this tell us about future challenges in designing a national REDD strategy?

                                             
The overall aim of the study is to investigate how REDD+ processes and policies are represented in the media, and to analyse if and how public debate and policy discourse shape national REDD+ strategies.