Framing Analysis of Climate Change Communication on Digital Media Portals -Down To Earth and Carboncopy

Climate change has become one of the most challenging global problems with serious consequences, and media coverage plays a pivotal role in shaping public perception and awareness. The way the most pressing problem is reported by media that is the how they frame and in which tone they portray the matter, shapes public perception and policy discourse. This study examines the framing of climate change in two Indian digital portals, Down To Earth and CarbonCopy, over a six-month period from January to July 2025. Content analysis approach has been used to carry out the research and investigate how articles and news stories have constructed the issue through four frames: Problem, Solution, Responsibility, and Justification by the two portals. The study further categorizes the tone of reporting as alarming, neutral, or informative to assess how each outlet influences public engagement and perception. Descriptive statistics had been used to summarize frequency distributions, while chi-square tests examined associations between frames, tone, and portal. The findings indicate that Down To Earth predominantly employs solution frame with an alarming tone, emphasizing environmental accountability and policy implications, whereas Carbon Copy tends to highlight problem frames with an alarming, neutral or positive tone. The study contributes to understanding media framing theory in the Indian digital context.