Access to and Use of Climate Change Information Covered in Tanzanian Newspapers: A Case of Selected Peri-Urban Newspaper Readers in Tanzania

Abstract

Access to and use of climate change information is essential for raising people’ awareness about adaptation, coping and mitigation strategies in the face of changing climatic condition. This paper assessed the use of newspapers in accessing climate change information by selected peri-urban newspaper readers in Tanzania. Cross-sectional research design was employed with a total of 153 respondents. Data were collected using questionnaire and key informant interviews and were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics software and content analysis. About two-thirds (65%) of the respondents reported that newspapers were important communication sources in accessing climate change information. However, peri-urban newspaper readers experienced challenges such as inadequate coverage of climate change information (87%), unreliable climate change information (84%), low prominence attached to climate change information (82%), cost barriers (78%), lack of community information centres and public libraries (73%). These impede full access to newspapers for climate change and other developmental information. It is concluded that peri-urban newspaper readers prefer newspapers written in Kiswahili and those with high news coverage. It is recommended that climate change information generators such as TMA should repackage and disseminate reliable forecast information that addresses the needs of the general public through popular and newspapers with national status. It is also recommended that national and local government authorities should provide support to public libraries and to establish community information resource centres in peri-urban areas for enabling newspaper readers to access developmental information including climate change information.