Why the media underreport about people: Structural constraints, commercial pressure and resource scarcity

The media shape public opinion and community responses to environmental issues. So far, much attention has been paid to the dominant narratives and potential biases in media discourses, but the underreporting of certain issues has generally been overlooked. The present article addresses this gap in the literature by mapping the range of topics reported by the media and by explaining why the media underreport the daily challenges faced by Danube Delta communities in Romania. The study uses topic modelling of media articles in national and local newspapers to illustrate how they amplify the narratives of the politicians and local authorities while omitting the people’s concerns and daily challenges. Then, our qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews with journalists writing about the Danube Delta in local and national newspapers aims to explain why underreporting occurs. We find that it is the result of structural constraints and limited resources, commercial pressure, human and expertise barriers, and political control.