NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES: NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

Extinction of concern
How the media failed to contextualise the IUCN Red List announcement

E
very time the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announces its Red List of
Threatened Species, the event is awaited with bated breath by wildlife conservationists worldwide. So it
was even this year, given the fact that the situation seems to worsen with every passing year. The current
species extinction rate, according to IUCN, is estimated to be anything between 1,000 and 10,000 times
higher than the natural or ‘background’ rate.
The 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was released at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona
on October 6, 2008. The new study to assess the world’s mammals showed that 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on
Earth are known to be threatened with extinction. In all, 76 mammals have become extinct since 1500. But the
results also showed that conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction, with 5 per cent of
currently threatened mammals showing signs of recovery in the wild. This was a good occasion to assess how
much importance the news media accords to the issue of species extinction.
This Newswatch study tracked the news about the IUCN Red List over a three-week period: October 6 to
October 26. News items were monitored both through news aggregators like Google News and Yahoo News as well
as through websites of individual news outlets. Stories of
newspapers were tracked primarily through their websites.
The epaper version of a paper, if available, was also checked.
The Web renditions were checked both for reasons of
convenience, as well as the empirical evidence that there is
rarely any difference between the version printed in the
paper and the one published online. Websites of television
news channels had to be tracked more for the lack of
wherewithal to track live news bulletins. In all, 83 news
establishments were tracked for the study.
The researchers were able to find only 43 relevant stories
from 23 news outlets during the three-week period. This
might come as a shock to conservationists, given the fact that
arrest of 230-odd people at a rave party in Mumbai (which
happened on the same day, October 6) generated 93 stories
in the first two days of the incident alone.
The subject of the study had two triggers — the first,
obviously, was the IUCN Red List release. The second was a
press release issued by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) on
October 22 about downgrading of the greater one-horned A visitor walks past the logo of the IUCN Red List at the World Conservation Congress in
rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) from ‘endangered’ to Barcelona October 7, 2008. The congress was organised by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Pic courtesy: Reuters / Albert Gea
‘vulnerable’. With the latter triggering eight stories, it meant
that the Red List release generated 35 news items in all.
All the stories spotted in Indian news outlets were filed by three international news agencies — Agence France-
Presse (AFP), the Associated Press (AP), and Reuters. There were 12 such stories There were also some news
outlets which republished syndicated stories from foreign newspapers — four in all. There were 13 spin-off stories
(all filed by news agencies) as well.
Masthead photo: International Rhino Foundation

There were only three distinct news items which could be seen as India-centric stories by Indian news outlets.
The Press Trust of India (PTI) story about 49 mammals facing grave threats of extinction was carried by three
news outlets. The Hindu (republished by Zee News) and the Assam Tribune published localised stories. So, there
were six items in all. Among the spin-off stories was one from Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) which mentioned
the Rameshwaram parachute spider being assessed for the first time and listed as Critically Endangered. The story
itself was not about the arachnid itself. On the other hand, PTI released a story about the scene of mammals in
Australia which was published by two news outlets. The Indian angle, by and large, remained off the news beat.
The WTI statement expressing shock at the downgrading of the greater one-horned rhinoceros in the Red List
was released by news agency Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). The story was carried by seven outlets. Only the
Telegraph carried its own version of the issue describing it as good news for the animal.

READ ON...

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES 1

 Extinction of concern How the media failed to contextualise the IUCN Red List announcement

Case study: Press Trust of India on Indian mammals facing extinction threat, Assam Tribune on rhinos

49 Indian mammal species face gravest extinction threat
Three days after the IUCN Red List was released, the Press Trust of
India (PTI) did a story about 49 mammal species facing grave threats of
Over 49 mammal species in India including tiger, gibbons, bats and deer are facing extinction. It quoted two wildlife conservationists and localised the issue
gravest level of extinction threat resulting from habitat destruction, pollution and
of conservation in the Indian context. The story, however, was carried
poaching, the latest assessment by International Union of Conservation of Nature has
revealed. According to the new data, over 124 Indian mammal species are facing by only three of the publications that were tracked.
different degrees of extinction threat of which 10 are critically endangered, 39 are
endangered, 48 are vulnerable for extinction and 27 are
showing sharp decline in population.
"This is the first exhaustive assessment of mammals
which includes all the species found in the country.
Prominent mammals include several species of primates,
especially the many langur species earlier thought to be one single species is now 7
species," said Sanjay Molur, who contributed Indian data for the listing process. Most
of the threatened land mammals are concentrated in the eco-sensitive zones of
Western ghats, north-eastern states and Andaman which have rich biodiversity, high
endemism and are facing the brunt of increased human activity.
About 17 of the total 49 mammal species listed as critically endangered and
endangered are from North-eastern India and 16 are found in Western Ghats.
"Western Ghats are facing extreme pressure of human activities thus increasing
the threat on the species found here. After the killing of Veerappan, police became
relaxed giving a kind of free hand to poachers who are still active in the area," said
Tito Joseph, Program Manager Wild Life Protection Society of India.
The enlisted mammals range from flagship species like Tiger, Asian Elephant and
Rhinos to lesser known ones like Dhole -- a wild dog, White toothed Shrew-a mouse
like mammal to hares and bats.
"Small mammals which do not get much attention in the conservation efforts are
important part of the food chain and necessary for maintaining ecological balance,"
said Ramesh Pandey, Deputy Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
IUCN has also expressed concern about the proposed Ganga-Bramhaputra canal
link and Dam projects in Arunachal Pradesh which may deplete the south Asian river
dolphin by 50 per cent till 2016.
"The list is important because such assessment helps in bettering conservation
efforts. It is time the government gave impetus to wildlife conservation. Lax attitude of NEW ENTRY: The Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria
enforcement agencies in the protected areas may mean doom for biodiversity of the hanumavilasumica) is a species of Indian tarantula assessed for the first time
country," Joseph said. and listed as Critically Endangered. Pic courtesy: M. Siliwal / IUCN

World’s mammals face extinction threat and key lost corridors and elephant habitat are species in Kaziranga fluctuates due to impact of flood.
restored, the elephant may get exterminated from some Currently about 650 swamp deer are present in
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has small pocket habitats in Sonitpur and Golaghat Kaziranga, which is the only viable population in
announced that the world’s mammals face serious districts.” Assam.
threat of extinction with almost one in four species at Government should develop a strong plan to The swamp deer population in Manas has almost
risk of disappearing forever. It has been stated that at restore elephant habitats and should look at long-term been wiped out and currently less than 10 swamp deer
least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals across the globe are conservation measures rather than opting for short- are present in the national park. He underlined the
“known to be threatened with extinction.” term make shift measures, which may not benefit need to translocate about 30-40 animals from
In this backdrop, conservationists in Assam, a elephant in long run, he noted. Kaziranga to Manas to re-build the Manas population to
global biodiversity hotspot, have called for renewed Referring to another mammal species, the swamp maintain at least two swamp deer habitats in Assam.
efforts to protect the flora and fauna of the deer, the conservationist said that population of the Conservation efforts need to be strengthened for
region, taking a scientific approach. several endangered species in Assam,
Although the number of some flagship said Goutam Narayan of Ecosystems
species like the one-horned rhino and India. “Conserving them is good not just
elephants are considered somewhat stable for the animals, but because some of
in their habitat, other issues which could them are indicator species, ultimately for
impact on ecosystems require more focused the natural landscapes and human
initiatives, they believe. beings thy support. Species like the
Dr Bibhab Talukdar, standing committee critically endangered pigmy hog need
member of National Board of Wildlife said well thought out interventions if they
that although the rhino population has have to survive in the wild, he added.
increased in Kaziranga, they continue to be Among those mammals, which
threatened in Orang National Park, and could face a dark future is the Gangetic
translocation in Laokhowa-Burhachapori is dolphin, an endangered species which
yet to start. number less than 300 in the
Dr Talukdar said that invasive species- Brahmaputra river. According to Wakid
weeds like Mimosa, Leea species, Mikenia Abdul of the conservation group
and Ipomea has threatened the rhino habitat Aaranyak, the population faces very
in Assam, which could seriously jeopardise serious risks because of fishing and
the future population prospect of the species habitat loss. “Many Gangetic dolphins
if urgent measures are not taken. die after getting entangled in fishing
Referring to the status of the elephant in nets, and poaching has also contributed
Assam, he said that the population of 5,200 LOCAL ISSUE: The Assam Tribune was the one of two Indian newspapers to their decline,” he said.
faces rapid loss of habitat as well as which carried a story on the Red List with localisation in mind. It quoted experts
corridors. “Unless good habitat is protected and put the issue of conservation in perspective . Pic courtesy: Bibhab Talukdar

2 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS

 Extinction of concern How the media failed to contextualise the IUCN Red List announcement

 Triggers and consequent coverage

There were three stories of India-origin which were India-
The subject of the study had primarily two news triggers — the centric. The Press Trust of India (PTI) story was carried by three
first, obviously, was the release of the IUCN Red List in Barcelona news outlets. The Hindu (republished by Zee News) and the Assam
at the World Conservation Congress on October 6, 2008. The Tribune published localised stories (see Chart 3) — six in all.
second was a press release issued by New Delhi-headquartered The WTI statement was released by news agency Indo-Asian
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) on October 22 on the exclusion of the News Service (IANS). The story was carried by seven outlets. Only
Indian rhinoceros the Telegraph carried its own version of the issue.
from the list.
The stories in Chart 3: India-centric stories of Indian origin (6)
Indian news outlets
Agency: Press Trust of India
were filed by three Peg: Over 49 mammal species in India including tiger, gibbons, bats and deer
international news are facing gravest level of extinction threat resulting from habitat
agencies — Agence destruction, pollution and poaching, the latest assessment by International
Union of Conservation of Nature has revealed.
France-Presse (AFP),
News outlet(s) (3): Hindu, Daily News & Analysis, ITV News
the Associated Press
(AP) and Reuters. All Peg: Number of plants and animals endemic to Kerala in Red List.
three, needless to News outlet(s) (2): Hindu, Zee News (reproduction)
say, pegged their
Peg: Assam conservationists views in perspective.
stories differently News outlet(s) (1): Assam Tribune
(see Chart 1).
Altogether, there were 12 such stories.
There were also some news outlets which republished
Chart 4: Spin-off news agency stories (13)
syndicated stories from foreign newspapers (see Chart 2). There Agency: Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)
were four such stories in different publications. Peg: More than 7,000 species in the world - 35 per cent of birds, 52 per cent of
amphibians and 71 per cent of warm-water reef-building corals - are likely
to be particularly susceptible to climate change, the International Union for
Chart 1: News agency stories about Red List release (12) Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has said in a study.
News outlet(s) (4): Economic Times, Times of India, BombayNews.net,
Agency: Agence France-Presse (AFP) smashits.com
Peg: Half the world's mammals are declining in population and more than a third
probably face extinction, said an update on Monday of the "Red List," the Agency: Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)
most respected inventory of biodiversity. Peg: Indian tarantulas, hairy and large spiders, are now in the Red List of
News outlet(s) (6): Economic Times, Howrah News Service, Times of India, species threatened with extinction, according to a leading global
Telegraph, NDTV, NewsX environmental network as it unveiled its latest global study of threatened
species.
Agency: Associated Press (AP) News outlet(s) (7): Economic Times, Times of India, Thaindian.com, News24,
Peg: Conservationists have taken the first detailed look at the world's mammals India eNews, Freshnews.in, smashits.com
in more than a decade, and the news isn't good. “Our results paint a bleak
picture of the global status of mammals worldwide,'' the team led by Jan Agency: Press Trust of India
Schipper of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Gland, Peg: Australia has been rated as the worst-hit among the developed nations
Switzerland, concluded. witnessing the extinction of mammals on the earth. A survey carried out on
News outlet(s) (3): Times of India, Hindu, Freshnews.in 5,487 species of land and marine mammals has shown the country at the
sixth position sharing with Jamaica and Puerto Rico for real or likely demise
Agency: Reuters of 6 per cent of all known mammal species on the planet, 'The Australian'
Peg: A quarter of the world's mammals are threatened with extinction, an newspaper reported today.
international survey showed on Monday, and the destruction of habitats and News outlet(s) (2): Economic Times, Times of India
hunting are the major causes.
News outlet(s) (1): Yahoo News
Chart 5: WTI press release on rhino exclusion (8)
Agency: Rehashed from multiple agencies
News outlet(s) (2): Zee News, CNN-IBN Agency: Indo-Asian News Service (IANS)
Peg: A UN body for nature conservation has demoted the one-horned
rhinoceros from its Red List of endangered species, officials said. Besides
Chart 2: Syndicated stories about Red List release (4) the rhino, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has
removed humback whales and African elephants, among others, from its
Syndication: Guardian Red List of endangered species, NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said in a
Peg: Nearly a quarter of the world’s land mammal species, including some in statement.
southern India’s Western Ghats, are at risk of extinction. And many others News outlet(s) (7): Economic Times, Times of India, News24, India eNews,
may vanish before they are even known to science, according to an Freshnews.in, BombayNews.net, smashits.com
extensive survey of global wildlife.
News outlet(s) (2): Hindu, Deccan Herald Peg: There is good news for fans of the greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros
unicornis): the “endangered” tag that it carried for long has been dropped. It
Syndication: Los Angeles Times now falls in the “vulnerable” category, according to the 2008 International
Peg: At least one-quarter of the world’s mammals in the wild are threatened with Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, because
extinction, according to a recently released international survey that blames of improvement in its population count and successful conservation
the loss of wildlife habitat, hunting and poaching for the steep declines. measures.
News outlet(s) (2): expressbuzz.com (New Indian Express), Indian Express News outlet(s) (1): Telegraph

NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES 3

 Extinction of concern How the media failed to contextualise the IUCN Red List announcement

Case study: Examples of contextualisation of the IUCN Red List: ‘New Zealand Herald’ and ‘The Australian’

NZ marine mammals join critical list

New Zealand species are among the world's mammals at
risk of extinction, according to a major survey of global
wildlife released yesterday.
At least 1141 of the 5487 known mammal species are
threatened worldwide, with 188 listed in the highest risk
"critically endangered" category.
The "Red List" assessment, issued by the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature, said one in three
marine mammals were also threatened and the World
Wildlife Fund said this was a warning for the survival of
New Zealand's marine mammals.
WWF New Zealand's marine programme manager ENDANGERED: The New Zealand Sea Lion also known as Hooker's Sea Lion. Pic courtesy: wildlife.co.nz
Rebecca Bird said nearly all of New Zealand's native
mammals were found at sea. population size since 1970. Researchers for the Red List note that there may
They include many threatened with extinction, including the blue whale, fin whale, currently be as few as 28 breeding maui's females in existence.
sperm whale and New Zealand sea lion. "Hector's and maui's dolphins only range within our coastal waters, so their
The list also includes the hector's dolphin, though the critically endangered maui's survival depends entirely on how we as a nation choose to respond," said Ms Bird.
dolphin - internationally recognised as the world's rarest marine dolphin - is not listed Globally the Red List survey, by 1700 experts in 130 countries, has confirmed the
separately because it is recorded as a North Island subspecies. devastating impact of forest clearing, hunting, fisheries, pollution and climate change
The past three decades of fishing with nets had been killing the dolphins faster on the populations and ranges of the world's most studied class of animals.
than they could breed, Ms Bird said. The figures are likely to be a conservative estimate, because scientists have
The hector's dolphin population of about 30,000 in the 1970s had dwindled to just insufficient data on 836 species to even classify how threatened they are.
7270. Ms Bird said nearly half NZ's marine mammals on the Red List were now in the
The maui's dolphin population situation is even more drastic with research "data deficient" category, including the orca, bryde's whale and dusky dolphin.
indicating that only 111 individuals remain - a decrease of 93 per cent of its

Professor West was disappointed that Australia the risk to native species and said the Government
had not moved down from sixth place since the last intended to tackle the problem through several
IUCN Red List was released in 2004. mechanisms, including its new $2.25 billion Caring for
Since then, the blue-grey mouse had become our Country initiative and expansion of the National
All ours ... and they're almost gone extinct and Professor West said three other small Reserve system.
native mammals now classed as critically endangered The worst national offender is Haiti (18 per cent),
AUSTRALIA has the worst record of mammal might be extinct. followed by the Dominican Republic (16 per cent),
extinctions and near extinctions of any developed The Tasmanian devil was not on the 2004 Red List Cuba and Mauritius (9 per cent each) and Reunion (7
nation in the world. but it is now listed as vulnerable -- one step below per cent).
It shares sixth place with Jamaica and Puerto Rico critically endangered -- due to a population decline of The new IUCN Red List was compiled by more
for presiding over the real or likely demise of 6 per cent 60 per cent in 10 years caused by a fatal transmittable than 1700 experts in 130 countries.
of all known mammal species on earth. facial tumour. "I think of them all as our near dodos," The overall survey finding -- to be detailed later this
The damaging assessment comes from a survey of Professor West said. week in the journal Science -- was that one in four of
the world's 5487 species of land and marine mammals Environment Minister Peter Garrett acknowledged the world's land mammal species and one in three
released last night by the marine mammal species faced
International Union for the extinction.
Conservation of Nature at its world Primatologist and
congress in Barcelona. conservationist Jane Goodall,
The IUCN's Red List of currently touring Australia, said:
Threatened Species reveals that no "It's a tragedy that the list is still
other developed nation rates a growing."
mention on the extinction league She said that among the
table until 20th place, where Italy, animal groups at most risk were
France, the US and Japan join nine humanity's primate cousins:
other nations cited for overseeing chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas
the loss of less than 1 per cent of and monkeys. Species of whales,
all mammal species. dolphins, manatees and dugongs
Chris West, chief executive of also faced extinction.
Zoos South Australia and an expert The IUCN report found that the
in biodiversity at Flinders and primary dangers to land mammals
Adelaide universities, said: "The were habitat loss and over-hunting,
solemn news is that we're still up while in the oceans, pollution and
there in terms of endangered indirect effects of fishing did most
mammals." TINY LITTLE DEVIL: The Tasmanian devil Pic courtesy: Fizzics Education harm.

PROJECT CREDITS: Study supervisor: Subir Ghosh; Research assistant: Priyanka Mittal

Extinction of concern: How the media failed to contextualise the IUCN Red List announcement. Edited and published by Subir Ghosh for Newswatch
(www.newswatch.in). © Newswatch 2008. All rights reserved. Note: Even though efforts have been made to provide accurate information in this report, the publisher would
appreciate if readers would call his attention to errors by emailing [email protected]. Suggestions for future study subjects can be sent to the same email address.

4 NEWSWATCH CONTENTIOUS SERIES NEWS MEDIA CONTENT ANALYSIS REPORTS