Framing Community Responses to Environmental Disasters: A Case Study of Media Coverage of the Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius

Abstract

On July 25th, 2020, the MV Wakashio ran aground on the southeastern coral reefs of Mauritius, spilling around one thousand metric tonnes of oil into the sea. The disaster received widespread local and international media coverage, covering both government and civil society response efforts. News media play a significant role in shaping narratives during disasters through frames, influencing public perception of the different response actors. Previous research has demonstrated that both local and international news media can frame the same disaster differently, often reinforcing dominant Western narratives. This thesis uses the Wakashio oil spill to investigate how local versus international news agencies framed the government and civil society responses. Findings show that the local news agencies offered more detailed commentary and critique, particularly of the government response, and, contrary to the literature, the international coverage of the disasters was positive. Finally, implications for future disaster policy and planning are discussed.